Himitsu na kokoro secret heart
by arimi-yume
Summary: Sakura dreams of someone she had loved but when she wakes up she realises she doesn't remember her childhood. This is the story of Sakura as she tries to recover her past and herself.(SakIta, a little Saksasu)
1. Twilight sky

Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.This is simply a fan work. 

It was truly a beautiful twilight sky. The stars filled the night sky shining brighter than diamonds.  
The winds were still and the air was cool.

Her eyes wondered from the sky looking towards the Konoha gates. With a soft sigh, she closed her eyes imagining what it would be like to sit under the twilight sky, staring at the stars all night long and being close to the one she held dear.

Sakura opened her eyes again waking up from her reverie. She knew that it will never happen. She still blamed herself for letting Sasuke leave the village. She tried to stop him. But she did not, she could not. Sasuke had already made up his mind. She knew that she could not have changed his mind once he had decided.

Sasuke was never a sociable person. He was an avenger. Living only with the thought of killing his brother to avenge the Uchiha clan which his older brother completely wiped out. Sasuke never forgot that day. Sakura knew this and she tried her best to change him by always being cheerful and trying to make Sasuke happy. But however hard she tried, Sasuke stayed the same.

Sakura knew she could not do anything for Sasuke so she kept being cheerful and letting Naruto take over. Naruto with his stupid attitude, who would thought that he could change Sasuke. But he did, Sasuke had considered forgetting about his past. Naruto had changed him little by little and they had come good friends (if they will ever admit it).

But now it was too late. Sasuke had already left. His hatred had grown stronger. He had gone to join Orochimaru.  
What hope Sakura had left, left with Sasuke as he walked out of Konoha.

She was now an empty shell. With no hope of ever having Sasuke close to her.

She was now taking lessons from Tsunade. She was learning to be a medical ninja. She concentrated hard and healed whatever Tsunade had asked her to heal. She made progress after a few weeks. Tsunade had complimented her.  
But the truth was, she healed everything in front of her imagining it to be Sasuke. She healed with all her determination.  
With all her strength, her soul, her heart.

She loved Sasuke. But to him she was nothing but a pest. It broke her heart everytime he said it. But there was nothing she could do about it. Nothing.

As she thought about these things she cried again and again. She cried until she couldn't anymore and fell asleep.

_' "Sakura,"called out a familiar voice. She turned around to find someone standing in front of her. "What are you doing here?"she said to the person in front of her. "I just wanted to see you,"said the figure in front of her.  
"But why, I thought we had agreed to meet here later,"said Sakura. "Well since we're both here,........"said the figure again.  
"You wanted to talk to me about something?" said Sakura again. "Yeah, but first I want to show you something,"said the figure.  
"Hmm......okay,"said Sakura with a slight blush. "Good,"said the figure taking hold of her hand and pulling her away.  
They arrived at the edge of the forest. "Close your eyes,"said the figure. "Okay,"said Sakura as she closed her eyes.  
The figure then took her hand and dragged her along. Sakura could feel her that they were in a cave. The air was damp and she could reach out her hand to touch the damp walls of the cave. "We're almost there," said the figure.  
The figure then led her through a narrow opening. She could feel that the air was cool inside the narrow opening.  
The narrow opening then led to a wider part of the cave. She could hear water dripping at a distant end.  
"Okay, you can open your eyes now,"said the figure still holding her hand. Sakura opened her eyes._

A/N I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter. This is my first fan-fiction story so I hope that I'll recieve some reviews.


	2. First kiss

Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.This is simply a fan work. 

_'Sakura opened her eyes. The cave was dark and it took her eyes some time to adjust to the darkness in the cave.  
"Why did you bring me here?"asked Sakura. "I can't see a thing in here it's too dark,"she said again.  
"Look again,"said the figure still holding her hand. "Look where?"asked Sakura. But slowly her eyes spotted a slight glow on the cave walls. The longer she stared at it,  
the brighter it got. Soon the whole cave was lit by tiny dim glows. It was magnificient, it was like she was staring upclose at the stars.  
"What are these tiny lights?"asked Sakura.  
" Fireflies,"said the figure standing next to her.  
"They come here to lay their eggs,"said the figure again.  
"Well, won't they attack us since we're intruding?"said Sakura in a slight panic.  
"No. Fireflies are harmless, silly,"said the figure.  
"Hmm....okay,"said Sakura recovering from her slight panic.  
They stayed like that for awhile, staring at the fireflies.  
"It's beautiful. Thanks for bringing me here,"said Sakura and she blushed a little when she realised that the figure was still holding unto her hand.  
"Your welcome,"said the figure smiling back at her.  
"Well, I have to go soon,"said the figure again.  
"Oh....okay,"said Sakura as they made their way out of the cave.  
They walked until they reached the end of the cave from where they came. The sun's rays were blinding to their eyes as they had gotten used to the darkness in the cave. Their eyes soon adjusted to the light and they started walking hand in hand, back to the village._

_"I thought that you were going to tell me something,"said Sakura looking at the figure beside her.  
"Was I?"asked the figure.  
Sakura nodded.  
"Hmm..........well you're gonna have to wait,"said the figure.  
"Why?"asked Sakura.  
"Hmm.........because I asked you to,"said the figure.  
"Well, why should I obey you,"said Sakura irritated and not noticing the mischievious glint in his eyes._

_"Hmm.......because I......"said the figure not finishing his sentence as he lowered his mouth unto her lips.  
It was a slight peck but it was good enough to make Sakura turn scarlet._

_"So now will you wait?"asked the figure again with a slight amusement to his voice ,noticing her turn red as a turnip._

_"O...o...kay,"said Sakura her voice slightly shaking. She was still blushing._

_"Where are we going now?"asked Sakura noticing how attractive he was as the wind played with his dark hair.  
"Back to Konoha,"said the figure._

_Sakura couldn't help but stare at the figure. He was like prince charming of her dreams._

_"What are you staring at,"asked the figure noticing how she stared at him._

_"Nothing,"said Sakura, quickly turning away to hide her blush._

_They kept on walking until they had almost reached the konoha gate. They suddenly stopped to find Iruka giving them an angry stare._

_"What are the both of you doing here?!"questioned Iruka as he walked towards them._

_"Emm.......nothing,"said the figure looking innocent._

_"Nothing? Then why are you both out of Konoha without permission?"Iruka questioned them again._

_"We were just taking a walk,"said Sakura slightly blushing remembering the kiss the figure had given her._

_"Walk?! Don't the both of you know how dangerous it is outside of Konoha, especially for ninja's who have not become full ninjas yet,"scolded Iruka._

_"But.....,"said the figure without finishing before Iruka had butt in again._

_"As I recall you both have lessons and trainings to attend to. Now get back inside Konoha and don't let me catch you two again. Do you understand, Uchiha, Haruno?"asked Iruka making it more of a statement then a question.'_

(space)(space)(space)

Sakura woke up to find that it was already pass noon. "Sakura, are you still sleeping?"asked her mother calling her from the kitchen.  
"No, I'm up,"answered Sakura.

Suddenly she saw Iruka pass her house, heading towards the academy.  
She then thought back to her dream.

' Was it for real?'she asked herself.  
' But it can't be. I don't remember any of it. And Sasuke and I had never spent any time together like that'  
Sakura couldn't remember the face of the figure in her dream. She remembered that Iruka had called him an Uchiha.  
The only Uchiha she knew was Sasuke or so she thought.

But one thing was confirmed, in her dream she had only been about the age of seven or eight.  
' Seven or eight? Why can't I remember anything when I was that age,'she questioned herself again.

' Come to think of it, I don't really remember my childhood years,'she thought to herself as she climbed out of bed.

A/N I know it sounds kind of weird for a girl to be kissed at the age of 7 or 8. But usually in movies it happens a lot.  
I hope you guys enjoyed this chap as well. Could you guys send in some reviews, I don't have a lot of reveiews.  
The reviews tell me if you like this story or not. If I get at least 5 reviews then I'll continue, if not then I'll stop.  
So please send in your reviews to let me know what you think. Please with a cherry on top.


	3. Emerald eyes

Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.This is simply a fan work.

Sakura quickly took her shower and got dressed. She combed her hair and looked into the mirror to see her reflection. The same familiar girl looked back at her with the same piercing emerald green eyes.

Sakura stared at the mirror a little longer noticing something different about herself this morning. Normally, when Sasuke was still around, Sakura would stand in front of the mirror every morning for as long as an hour everyday, trying to think of ways to make herself prettier to catch Sasuke's eye.  
She did all she could manage in an hour by combing her hair and dressing in different outfits but she always ended up choosing the same red one in the end. Other girls would usually try using make up and perfume but she knew better than that to try it.

She was a ninja after all. Make up would be useless as she often went on missions.  
I mean could you imagine wearing lipstick and eye shadow during missions, you would probably look like a whore or one of the yearly calender girls. Perfume was worst, that would give your scent off to the enemy.

(space)(space)(space)

Sakura stared into the mirror again trying to think of what was so different about her.  
Since Sasuke had left, Sakura rarely looked into the mirror but she knew that she had gotten paler and seemed sick to anyone who saw her.

That was part of the reason why she rarely stared at the mirror like she usually did. She was afraid to see the sadness in her eyes as they stared back at her. She often cried when she thought of Sasuke but as the days went on, she stopped crying but the look in her eyes were enough to remind her of Sasuke.

But today, there was something different about her. Something different about her eyes.

As she stared into them, she noticed that they were the shade of bright emeralds in the sun with a flicker of hope and no longer the sad and empty dull eyes which usually stared back at her.

'But why........? My eyes have never shone so brightly since Sasuke left,'she thought to herself.

Sakura then thought back to her dream. 'It can't be, it was just a dream. And I can't even remember his face,'she thought to herself again.

As she stared into the mirror again she thought of the many possibilities about her dream.

One, the dream was a flash back.  
Two, it was just a dream.

Sakura went trough it over and over again in her head but still she couldn't think of the answer.

"Sakura, what are you doing up there? Hurry up or you'll be late for your lesson with the Tsunade-sama,"shouted her mother from the kitchen.

"Okay,"said Sakura as she rushed out of the house to find Tsunade.

' What am I doing, I shouldn't be pondering on stupid dreams. I should be training,'thought Sakura to herself as she saw Tsunade waiting for her near the Hokage monument.

(space)(space)(space)

"Sakura, hurry up. We were supposed to go to the restaurant together after your practice,"said Ino as she stepped next to Sakura after spotting her lying on a bench looking exausted.

"Oh...It's you Ino. Sorry, I almost forgot,"said Sakura as she spotted Ino next to her.

Ino had been nice to her lately. She had been trying to cheer Sakura up.  
After Sasuke had left, Sakura had seeemed more of a zombie to her than a human.

Ino and Sakura were rivals. They fought for almost everything.  
Their relationship with one another seemed of weird to those around them.  
One minute they were at each others throats, and the next they were caring childhood friends.

"Well, since you're done with your training, let's go,"said Ino sounding encouraging.  
"Okay,"said Sakura as they walked to the newly opened restaurant.

(space)(space)(space)

They sat down and ordered their food. As they were being served they saw a group of girls pass them and sitting down at the table next to them.

Sakura and Ino immediately recognised them. They were one of the many group of girls that were helplessly in love with Sasuke.

(space)(space)(space)

The girls walked in the newly opened restaurant to see two of their love rivals sitting together.

They walked pass them and sat at the table next to them. The girls held a small discussion and decided to play a prank on Sakura and Ino to teach them a lesson to stay away from Sasuke.

The girls walked over to Ino and Sakura's table.

(space)(space)(space)

Sakura and Ino watched as the group of girls sat down and started discussing something.  
They often looked their way with mischieviuos smug grins.

After sometime, they walked over to Sakura and Ino's table.

"Hi. My friends and I were wondering if you would care to join us?"asked one of the girls.

Sakura and Ino looked at each other knowing that it'll be a bad idea to join them but it'll be an even worse idea to reject them as they were infamous for making big issues out of small incidents.

"Ehm.......okay,"said Sakura a little hesitantly as she and Ino walked over to their table.

A/N This chap is kinda boring. Sorry but i promise that the next one will be more interesting. Please review. 


	4. Rivals but still freinds

A/N I thank you all for the reviews. Even though there aren't many, they mean a lot to me since it's my first time writing a fan fic. I hope you enjoy this chappie. 

Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This is only a fan work.

Ino and Sakura sat down at the table with the other girls. The girls gave them a 'welcoming' smile as they made space for them at the table.

Ino and Sakura sat next to each other and silently ate their food while the other girls were staring at them with mischievious grins.

Sakura knew that if they looked at the girls or even asked them anything, they would surely be in a tight situation. I mean you could tell these things if you were stared so intently at by a buch of smirking girls who were also your love rivals.

Unfortunately, Ino didn't quite get the idea. She lost her temper after the twenty third time one of the girls smirked at them.

"What in the world do you want!"demanded Ino as she looked at them.

"Oh...... nothing,"said a girl innocently, still smirking at the both of them.

Sakura was about to tell Ino that they should be going home by now when she was interrupted by Ino who shouted at the girls,"Yeah right....You girls are up to something. I can sense it so what do you want already!"

Sakura could have swore that she was nearly about to strangle Ino to death.  
But she was interrupted again by one of the girls.

"We were thinking...... Would the both of you care to join us for a little game?"asked a girl on Sakura's right who seemed to have said that with a little too much amusement in her voice.

'Oh no! Now we're doomed,'thought Sakura to herself.

Sakura knew that they couldn't say 'no'. They had to go along with it or spend the rest or their lives in Konoha with girls whispering behind their backs where ever they went.

Ino seemed to have sensed it as well. She made a face but in the end they both agreed to join their 'game'.

"Good, then you girls probably won't mind if we choose the game,'said a girl sarcastically making it sound more of a statement then a question.

"We'll play 'truth or dare',"said the girl again.

"Here are the rules. We'll each take turns. A person has only two choices in the game. Once you make the first choice, you can't use it again,"said another girl.

' Yeah, we're doomed,'said Sakura to herself again.

Well for those of you who have never played 'truth or dare', the rules are simple.  
The minimum requirements are two people or more.  
The game starts when a player asks another player to choose btween truth or dare.  
If truth is chosen, a player will ask a question to that player and that player must tell the truth.  
Lies are forbidden.  
But if the player chooses dare, a player will dare that player to do something and that dare must be carried out.  
No exceptions unless it is something unthinkable. e.g. killing yourself, jumping off a high building........etc.

But in this game you get two turns, once you ask for truth you can't ask for it again and same goes for dare.

(space)(space)(space)

The game started with one of the girls asking Ino if she want to choose truth or dare.

From the way the girl was staring at Ino, Sakura knew that both choices would be treacherous.

"Truth,"said Ino a little hesitantly.

"Okay. Well then, has any boy ever seen your underpants?"said the girl as she gave a hooting laugh.

Ino blushed scarlet. She had always been careful about tthese things but sometimes they did get out of hand. Ino thought back to the incident that happened a few months ago.

(flashback)

She was on a mission with Shikamaru and Chouji. They had stopped at a small forest to get some rest.  
Being all sweaty and sticky she decided to take her bath at a nearby stream.  
She dipped her foot into the water and decided that the water was alright before she took off her shirt and pants. She stood there wearing only her undergarments when she turned around to find Shikamaru standing behind her staring at her with a nose bleed.

( end of flashback)

Again Ino blushed at the thought of it but she knew she had to tell the truth.

"Ehm......Well........yes,"said Ino as she turned away to hide her flushed face.

' Poor Ino',thought Sakura looking at her friend who was still blushing.  
'Wait, I'm next,'thought Sakura to herself again as she gave a sigh.  
They both knew that they couldn't escape from the girls so, they had to get it over with.

"Hmm.......Sakura, turth or dare?"asked another girl.

"Truth,"said Sakura wanting to get it over with.

"Fine, then have you had your first kiss?"asked the girl with a smug grin.

Everyone in Konoha knew that your first kiss was something precious to you. Sakura had always saved her first kiss for Sasuke but now she wasn't so sure.

Her thoughts drifted back to the dream she had last night.  
In her dream she had been kissed by an unknown figure who's face and name she could not recall.  
But she did hear from Iruka that the boy was an Uchiha.

Sakura blushed scarlet at the thought of this. She felt her heart race as she thought about the kiss again.  
' Why am I feeling this way? And I'm not even considering the boy to be Sasuke'  
whispered Sakura to herself.

' Who is he? and where is he now?' thought Sakura to herself before she realised that she had answered 'yes'.

"What? You have?,"asked Ino shocked as she knew Sakura better than anyone. She knew that Sakura wouldn't give her first kiss to anyone except Sasuke.

"Ehm... I ...... I don't know,"answered Sakura suprised at the answer she had given.

"Well then that solves everything,"said a girl grinning at Sakura.

"Solves what?"asked Sakura.

"Well we were planning on daring you to kiss someone,"said the same girl.

"But since you already have, there's no need to continue this game,"said another girl with a devilish grin.

"What?!"said Sakura getting mad.

"You heard us, now stay away from Sasuke. You don't deserve to be even an inch near him,'said another girl.

"You have already given your first kiss away to someone else. You don't deserve him and furthermore,  
you were the one who let him leave the village. You couldn't even stop him. He probably thought of you as a pest who was in his way.If it were one of us, he wouldn't have left,"said the same girl looking smug.

"You girls are stupid. Sasuke has already left and where do you think he went? On a business trip?"asked Ino sarcastically.

"He'll be back. Who wouldn't want to be in a village with so many adoring fans around him,"said another girl.

"He WONT!! "said Sakura as tears flooded her eyes. Flashes of the incident ran through her mind.  
They were right, she didn't stop him. She couldn't.

The girls saw that she was crying and felt a bit guilty about it so they decided to leave.  
As they were walking away, Ino shouted at them" Hey girls, what made you think that it wasn't Sasuke that had taken Sakura's first kiss?"

The girls, furious at that question, stomped away.

"Come on Sakura I'll walk you back home,"offered Ino.

(space)(space)(space)

As they walked back through the town together, their eyes looked around the brightly lit stores that they passed along the way noticing how gay the people were around them.

Sakura's mind wandered back to the old days when she, Sasuke, Naruto and Kakashi had been a team and going on missions together.

As the memories flashed through her mind, tears began flooding her eyes again.

They walked until they reached Sakura's house. Sakura was about to go in when Ino stopped her.

"Are you sure you're alright?"asked Ino putting a comforting hand on Sakura's shoulder.

"Yeah I'm fine. Oh.....and by the way, thanks Ino,"said Sakura smiling a little.

"For what?"asked Ino.

"For standing up for me,"said Sakura.

"Don't get too comfortable with it, Haruno. We're still rivals,"said Ino.

"Yeah......I know,"said Sakura as they both giggled.

"Well......then, goodnight,"said Ino as she walked off heading back to her house.

"Goodnight,"said Sakura as she waved to Ino.

(space)(space)(space)

Sakura entered her bedroom and immediately undressed and slipped into her pyjamas.  
She walked to her balcony and sat down at the ledge.

Sakura looked up at the stars, wondering where Sasuke was and what he was doing at the moment.

She closed her eyes, letting her mind wander from places she has been to farawy places she had heard of and wanted to go someday.

(space)(space)(space)

_'Sakura opened her eyes.  
She was siting under a cherry blossom tree.  
It was spring, the cherry blossoms were in bloom and many differrent species of butterflies were seen flying around the village.  
Everything was so wonderful and peaceful._

_She closed her eyes again. She sat there under the tree feeling the cool breeze against her cheeks and sniffing the sweet scent of the cherry blossoms._

_She opened her eyes once again to find someone teasing her hair. She turned to find a figure carefully teasing and combing her hair with gentle fingers._

_She flushed as she realised who it was.  
The figure finally stopped fingering her hair as he realised that she was watching him intently looking rather puzzled._

_He looked into her eyes._

A/N Sorry I left it a bit hanging. It's christmas eve and i have to go to bed to get up early for christmas morning. I can't wait to see all my presents. To all you readers out there,  
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR.


	5. First meeting

A/N Hi i'm back. Everyone had a nice christmas? I hope so. It's gonna be new year soon so, HAPPY NEW YEAR.  
And I hope you enjoy reading this chappie.

Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This is only a fan work.

'He looked into her eyes, finding himself lost in those emerald green orbs. They were beautiful.

They were the colour of bright emeralds that shone brighter than anything he had ever seen.  
If he wanted, he could spend eternity just staring into them, and getting lost in those bright depths that seemed to look into his very soul.

Sakura blushed as she realised that they had been staring into each others eyes for quite some time.  
She turned her head to hide her blush. 'Damn it, I'm already blushing and all we did was stare at each other'  
thought Sakura to herself.

The figure gave an amused chuckle as he saw that she turned her head to hide her face which was blushing furiously.

"What's wrong?" asked the figure in an amused voice.

"Nothing,"said Sakura a little too fast.

"Ehm..... by the way, why are you here? Shouldn't you be training?"said Sakura again, trying to change the subject.

"I just finished my training,"stated the figure.

"But why are you here? Shouldn't you be going home?"asked Sakura again.

"I should ask you the same question,"said the figure as he stared into her eyes again.

"I asked you first,"said Sakura childishly and quickly looking away somewhere else.

"Fine then. I saw you siting under the sakura tree and thought i'd join you,"he said with a flat tone.

"Why would you want to do that?"asked Sakura again, a lillte too fast. 'Damn it. I'm slipping again. Why do I always have to slip around him?'Sakura asked herself.

'Because you like him stupid, and you want to know how feels about you too,'answered her inner mind.

Sakura knew that it was true. She had liked him since the first time she met him. He was older than her by a few years but still she couldn't help it. He was cool, good looking, kind and a little mysterious. I mean, which girl wouldn't fall for someone like that.

The figure looked at her again, noticing that she was arguing with herself.  
He had noticed quite some time ago that she tended to argue with herself when she was nervous or angry.  
He always found that rather amusing since no one but him had noticed it.

Why had he noticed it? and further more why did he even care to approach her everytime he saw her?

He had been pondering on these questions for some time now but he knew the answer even without thinking about it.  
He liked her. Not only as a friend but something else.  
He had felt it since the first time they met.

(falshback)

"Sakura don't go too far, okay? I'll be there in that restaurant,"said her mother as she pointed her finger towards a small restaurant on their left as she gave Sakura her permission to look around the town.

"Okay, mom,"said Sakura as she ran off to explore the town by herself.

She passed many shops, restaurants and houses as she kept on walking.  
Sakura was lost in her own thoughts when she realised that it was getting dark.

She turned around to go back the way she came but realised that she couldn't tell one way from another.

Sakura and her mother had come to Konoha to look for a house so that they could settle down.  
Her father had died when she was just a baby so, her mother had raised her.

Sakura kept on walking and soon the sun was already setting.  
She broke into a run as she knew that it would be dangerous to walk around the town alone especially at night.

Sakura kept on running but she still couldn't find the restaurant.  
She was standing in an alley.  
She stopped to catch her breath when she saw someone approaching her.

It was a druken man who seemed to think that Sakura was a thief that had stolen his money.  
He took out a knife daring her to run but all she did was froze in shock as she watched the man approach her holding a knife.

She couldn't move. 'Run,Sakura. Run. Run. Run,'her inner mind screamed out to her.  
'Hurry up......you have to run or else.........,'her inner mind said again as Sakura dashed for a hole in the fence that she was leaning against.

After she had gotten under the fence, she ran and ran not daring to look back.

After a while, she stopped under a tree to catch her breath.  
She looked back to see if the man had been following her.

She sat down, leaning against the tree after she had confirmed that the man was nowhere in sight.

She looked up into the sky. The sun had already set, and the stars were already filling the night sky.

Sakura closed her eyes as she thought about her mother who would be looking for her by now.

'How am I going to get home now?,'she whispered to herself as tears filled her eyes.

" Why are you crying?"asked a dark haired boy who was standing in front of her.

Sakura gave a startled cry. "Where did you come from? I thought that I was here alone,"said Sakura.

"I saw you in town and thought you looked lost so, I followed you,"said the dark haired boy as he sat down next to her.

"I was going to beat up that drunken piece of shit before he harmed you but you ran off through the fence. Nice escape, by the way,"said the boy looking impressed.

"Were you really going to beat that man up?"asked Sakura a little doubtful.  
"I mean. You're just a boy and he would surely win,"said Sakura looking at the boy.

"You shouldn't judge people by what they look like,"said the boy as he cupped Sakura's face in his hand.

"I'm a ninja,"said the boy as he wiped the tears from her face.

"Oh,"said Sakura clearly suprised.  
She blushed furiously as he came closer to her.  
His eyes were the darkest colour she had ever seen.  
Sakura immediately fell for him as he stared into her eyes.

"Good. You stopped crying,"said the boy as he smiled at her and stared into her emerald green eyes.

Somehow he found that it made him feel uncomfortable to see her cry.  
He wanted more than anything to see her smile. To smile at him.

"What is your name?"he asked her as he played with her pink locks.

"Sakura,"she answered not knowing why she felt so attached to the boy.  
'Stop it. You've only known him for less than a day,'her inner mind argued back.

"Sakura. It suits you,"said the boy still satring into her eyes.

"We're siting under a sakura tree,"said the boy again clearly amused.

"But it never blooms. They say that it has been cursed. This tree will never bloom as long as it lives and grows in this world,"said the boy staring at the tree .

"Then how do you break the curse?"asked Sakura looking at the tree as well.

"You are lost with nowhere to go but still you ask on such matters?"asked the boy with a amused glint showing in his eyes.

Blushing, Sakura turned her head to look anywhere else but at the boy.

The boy gave a small amused chuckle.

"Fine, I'll tell you how,"said the boy mischieviously.

"Close your eyes,"said the boy again.

"Why?"asked Sakura.

"Just do it,"said the boy again.

Sakura closed her eyes. She found that it was rather embarassing being so close to the boy.  
She could feel his warmth next to her.

He looked at her seeing that her eyes were closed.  
He came closer to her taking in her scent.  
She smelled like cherry blossoms in spring.

He smiled as he lowered his lips onto her forehead and kissed it.

Sakura blushed as she felt him kissing her forehead.  
Startled at the sudden action, she opened her eyes to find him staring at her.

"What did you do that for?"asked Sakura as she turned scarlet.

"Well you were the one who asked me how to break the curse,"said the boy clealy amused at her reaction.

"Yeah but I didn't ask you to kiss my.....,"said Sakura not finishing her setence as the boy came closer to her again.

"Okay, well then next time I'll have to kiss your lips since you don't want me to kiss your forehead,"said the boy as he came even closer to her lips.

Sakura froze as he slowly brushed his lips against hers and kissed her cheek.

Then he slowly moved his lips to her ear.  
"Did you think I was going to take your first kiss when we've only just met?"whispered the boy into her ear.

Sakura blushed two shades of red at that question.

She looked at him, noticing that he was staring at her.  
"It's rude to stare at people,"said Sakura trying to cover up for her blushing since she had thought that he was going to kiss her.

'You wished that he did,'said her inner mind.  
'I did not,' Sakura argued back to her inner mind.

Although she thought so, she knew that she had actually wanted him to take her first kiss.

"Well you're staring at me as well,"said the boy as he leaned back against the tree.

Sakura quicky turned her head away.

The boy gave a small chuckle as he said"I was supposed to kiss you to break the curse. A prince will always kiss a princess to break the curse, right?"

"I hope that the tree will bloom this spring,"said Sakura looking up at the tree and smiling.

"I'm sure it will. Since I've already kissed this fair princess next to me,"said the boy.

Sakura giggled at that comment.

"Well then, my fair princess, I think we had better get you back home,"said the boy as he stood up and offered her his hand. He had wanted to see her smile and now she was laughing.  
He felt his heart race.

She took his hand and the boy pulled her up, against him.

Sakura found herself in the boys arms and her head was against his chest.  
She blushed at the position they were in.

He felt her against him.  
Her soft and fragile body in his arms.

He gave a soft sigh as he knew that he had to let her go.

"Well then, let's see if we can find your mother,"said the boy as he let her out of his arms.

"How did you know that I was looking for my mother?"asked Sakura.

"Well, that's for me to know and for you to find out,"said the boy as he took her hand and and lead her through town.

They passed many shops along the way, still hand in hand.(wooo)

At last they found themselves in front of the restaurant. Unwillingly, they both let go of their hands as Sakura's mother came rushing out of the restaurant.

"Where were you? I was so worried,"said her mother as she embraced Sakura in a fierce hug.

"I was with .........,"said Sakura as she noticed that the boy was already walking away.

Sakura wriggled out of her mother's embrace and ran to catch up with the boy.

"Hey! Wait,"called out Sakura as she ran after him.

The boy stopped and turned around.

"What's the matter? Coming back for another kiss?"said the boy playfully.

Sakura blushed but managed to catch up to him.  
"No! I just want to know your name,"said Sakura panting a little.

"Uchiha. Uchiha Itachi,"said the boy as he walked off again.

(end of flashback)

A/N I hope you all enjoyed this chap. Please review so that I can keep on updating. 


	6. Tears

A/N this is to all readers, i noe that the age difference here might be a little far-fetched,(sakura,7,itachi,12)but love is blind ,right? And furthermore, I kinda had an experience when I was only 4. I'm not kidding, I fell in love at that age,(actually puppy love) we had good memories(don't think dirty) .  
sighsToo bad I haven't seen him around lately, it's been so many years.  
But go back to the story,I don't want to keep you here and reading about me blabbering, so read and enjoy. 

Naruto belong to Masashi Kishimoto. This is only a fanfic.

_Sakura sat there under the cherry blossom tree, as she thought about how they had met.  
She closed her eyes and gave an amused giggle as she thought back about the story he had told her._

_"What's so funny,"asked Itachi looking at her.  
"Remember the story you told me when we first met? We were under this same tree,"said Sakura opening her eyes to look at him._

_He sat there staring into her eyes.  
"It worked, didn't it? I guess the curse is broken,"said Itachi with a chuckle.  
"The tree now blooms every spring since you came. Your name suits you,"he said again still staring into her eyes._

_Sakura smiled at that comment.  
"Itachi, do you think that this tree will continue to bloom even after hudreds of years?"asked Sakura as she looked up at the tree._

_"No."_

_"Why not?"asked Sakura again feeling a little dissapointed at his answer._

_"Because it'll bloom every spring until the end of time,"said Itachi again knowing that she was dissapointed at his first answer and purposely trying to tease her._

_He had wanted to see her facial expression when he said 'no'. He enjoyed seeing her when she was iritated or angry. But what he enjoyed seeing the most was her smiles. Especially if the smile had been for him._

_It was already sunset. Sakura and Itachi sat there as they watched the sun going down. It was beautiful. It reminded Sakura of a painting._

_Sakura glanced at the boy sitting next to her.  
He was watching her intently with his dark eyes which Sakura had always found attractive.  
Itachi was 12 while she was 7.  
Sakura didn't know why Itachi would want to be around her when he was older than her by 5 years.  
She knew it was silly to think that he liked her when he probably thought of her as his little sister.  
She liked him but knew that it was impossible between them as they stood many years apart.  
This was simply a close frienship, it was devastating for Sakura to think about letting him go but she had to tell him because it was killing her to be even this close to him when she knew that it was only a one-sided love._

_"I..Itachi, I ehm.....want to tell you something,"said Sakura almost in tears but she held it back as she knew that it would be better this way._

_Itachi's dark eyes met her own as he turned from staring at the sunset to look at her._

_"I ehm...... have a slight crush on someone in my class,"said Sakura as she turned away to break their eye contact.  
She knew that she couldn't lie and look into his eyes at the same time.  
It was killing her. Breaking her to pieces just to say it._

_"Oh,"said Itachi looking unefected as he stared at the sunset again._

_"So, I guess we won't be seeing much of each other since I'll be trying to get him to notice me,"said Sakura trying to sound cheerful but her heart had already shattered to pieces._

_"I guess,"said Itachi calmly but deep inside he was trying to cope with the turmoil and hatred in his heart.  
'Sakura's mine and no one else is going to take her from me,'thought Itachi._

_He stared at the sun not letting his feelings show on his face.  
He was filled with anger,hatred but most of all sadness._

_His face showed no expression but his heart sank at the thought of losing Sakura to someone._

_"So, who's the lucky guy?"he asked cheerfully, not letting his voice give him away._

_"Oh...ehm...Sasuke,"said Sakura._

_Itachi's heart hit solid ground as he heard her say the name of his brother.  
' Why? Why Sasuke? What does he have that I don't?'asked Itachi to himself not knowing the answer._

_Sakura was always fond of Sasuke. He was in the same class as her and all the girls were desperately in love with him. She had a slight crush on him when she first saw him in class on the first day of school but that was only because he looked a lot like Itachi whom she had met earlier. She found out later that he was Itachi's brother and decided to approach him often hoping to hear about Itachi._

_It was easy ofcourse since he talked about his brother most of the time as though he was a saint. Sasuke admired his brother and wanted to be like him._

_Sakura had told everyone that she liked Sasuke but she only said that as an excuse so that she could be near him to hear about his brother._

_She knew that almost every girl liked him so it wasn't really that hard to say infront of her friends._

_"Well, so what do you think I should wear to get his attention,"asked sakura cheerfully trying to hide her pain.  
'It's better like this. Sasuke and me are in the same year anyway,'thought Sakura to herself._

_Itachi didn't answer so she decided to say something else._

_"Itachi, you're his brother,right? What kind of food does he like? Maybe I could cook something for him to get him to notice me,"said Sakura again trying to sound hopelessly in love although she was practically dying in despair._

_"He likes grass,"said Itachi getting angry but remained in an expessionless face.  
"He also likes mud,"said Itachi again, his hands in a fist behind his back._

_Sakura tried to laugh at that comment but found it rather difficult since she noticed that there was a slight glimpse of anger that crossed his face but dissapeared just as fast as it had appeared._

_' Maybe he does like me,'thought Sakura to herself feeling a little more cheerful.  
'No, what am I thinking? It's impossible, you're like his sister remember,'argued her innermind._

_Sakura felt her slight spark of hope diminish as tears began flooding her eyes._

_The sun had already set and the stars began to fill the night sky like tiny diamonds._

_"It's already late, I think I had better get home before my Mom kills me,"Sakura said in a calm voice as she stood up and turned her back against him, hiding her silent tears._

_Sakura felt her heart break. She wanted to scream out but held back._

_"I can't wait to see Sasuke tomorrow. I think I'll cook him something but I'm definitely not going to give him grass and mud,"Sakura said trying to make it sound like a joke although she knew that she wouldn't be able to laugh for a long time._

_She started to walk away.  
'Don't run now Sakura. It'll only give you away,' she whispered to herself.  
Sakura felt like running. She felt like she had to get away from him , from everything._

_Sakura walked away from the place where she had left her heart.  
'It will always be there. It will always be with him,'she whispered to herself as she broke into a run after she had lost sight of the cherry blossom tree._

_She ran and ran not knowing where she was going as tears rolled down her cheeks.  
' He didn't even stop me or say anything,'said Sakura to herself.  
' Why would he?'her innermind argued back again and this time she felt that it was right._

_She ran as she passed many shops along the town. Her eyes were in a blur from her tears but still she kept running.  
' I guess I had to let you go someday. Sayounara........Itachi,'she whispered to the wind as she kept running._

_Sakura didn't know how far she ran but she finally stopped as she broke into a sob as her legs gave way until she was lying on the ground still crying._

_Sakura didn't know how long she was there.  
She felt herself being lifted from the ground and soon she felt arms coming around her ._

_Itachi found Sakura lying on the ground in an alley when he found her.  
After she had left, he couldn't stop himself before he realised he was going after her._

_He found her sobbing on the ground.  
The one thing that Itachi hated the most was seeing her cry._

_'I promised myself that I wouldn't let her cry after I saw her crying when we had met but I couldn't even keep this promise. I don't deserve to be around her,'he thought to himself as he picked her up and pulled her against his chest._

_He held her in a tight embrace. Afraid to let her go._

_"Itachi,"said Sakura realising she was in his arms._

_Itachi looked down seeing her tear filled eyes. He wiped the tears away and held her once again._

_Sakura was shocked to see him here._

_"Itachi, why are you here?"she asked in soft voice._

_"I followed you. Why were you crying?"he asked her looking into her tear streaked eyes._

_Sakura looked away not daring to look into his concerned eyes._

_When she didn't answer, he cupped her chin and brought her face to stare at his._

_"Did something happed?"asked Itachi._

_Sakura shook her head as a sign of a 'no.  
"Then what is it?"asked Itachi in a concerned voice.  
Sakura couldn't take it anymore.  
It was one thing to be running away to shut your feelings in but it was another thing to be standing infront of the very person whom you were trying to run away from._

_Tears began to fill her eyes again.  
"I like you. I always have. I want you as a friend but also something more,"she said as tears rolled down her cheeks._

_Itachi was shocked to hear this.  
"I thought you liked Sasuke?"questioned Itachi secretly hoping she said no._

_"I do but only as a friend. I lied I'm sorry,"she said between sobs._

_"Why?"asked Itachi feeling his heart pace quicken._

_"Because I knew that you only thought of me as a sister. I couldn't take it, I couldn't face you. I had to get away"  
said Sakura knowing now that it was too late to turn back._

_Sakura found her lips crushed onto his. He had pulled her into his arms wanting not to let her go._

_He finally released her lips and stared into her eyes with an amused smile on his lips.  
"What made you think that I only thought of you as a sister?"he said still holding her in his arms._

_"I like you too. I was going to tell you but you said that you liked Sasuke so I couldn't say anything,"he said smiling at her._

_"What? You do? But I'm 5 years younger than you are. Don't you like someone to be a bit .....older?"she said looking up at him._

_"We'll grow,"said Itachi as he brought his lips on to hers._

(space)(space)(space)

Sakura woke up to find her heart beating rather fast.

She then thought back to the dream she had.

'Uchiha Itachi,'she whispered to herself.  
' That was the name that brought hatred to Sasuke everytime he heard it,' she thought to herself with a sigh.

'Was it a dream?Only a dream?or something more,'she asked herself again.

'One way or another I'm going to find out,'whispered Sakura as she looked out her window at the night sky.

A/N I hope you all enjoyed this chap. Sorry I took so long to update.School just reopened and i have a huge exam this year. **Please keep sending in the reviews** and if you ask hard enough, I'll update it soon.

Preview of next few chaps: Sakura goes on a mission with Ino and Hinata.They are in charge of the safety of a princess.  
When other ninjas turn up, Sakura ,Ino and Hinata have to fight for the princess and their lives. Sakura gets badly hurt as she stays behind to fight off the ninjas while Ino and Hinata escapes with the princess.  
Sakura manages to escape but is badly injured.She collapses and later finds herself in the arms of......................(ha ha, not telling)(you'll just have to review to ask for it)(MAY contain LEMONS)


	7. Of cherry blossoms and fireflies

A/N Hi everyone, I'm back.Sorry I took so long.I hope you'll enjoy this chappie. 

Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This is simply a fan fic.

It was past twilight. The pale rays of the moon shone over Konoha making it look mysterious and familiar at the same time. The night sky was beautiful at this time of the night.

Bright emerald dephts stared into the star lit sky as though it was nothing more than a dream.  
With a soft sigh, Sakura silently crept out of of her balcony, away from the place she called home.

Travelling with the speed of a shinobi, Sakura crept towards the Konoha gates, swiftly and silently to avoid being seen by the guards stationed at the gates. Tsunade had ordered a few ninjas to guard the gates after what had happened with Sasuke. Getting in or out would be challenge if you didn't have permission.  
It was to prevent the incident from happening again.

Sakura could hear the guards talking to one another. She hid behind a tree and looked for an opening.  
She saw one of the guards standing next to the backdoor that led out towards the forest and decided to give it a try.

With the swiftnest of a fox, she darted for the backdoor after throwing a pebble at the opposite direction to attract the guards.

They fell for it and within a few seconds she was out of Konoha.

(space)(space)(space)

The forest was cool and quiet except for the occasional hoots of owls and scattering of small animals as she passed by.

' Was it all just a dream? I have to know. I can't get him out of my head'  
' The cave, I have to find it. I have to know,' said Sakura as she walked through the forest looking for anything familiar that would lead her to the cave.

' He brought me here once in my dream but my eyes were closed then. We walked out of the cave together, so I guess I would just have to look for something familiar that will lead me to the cave,'said Sakura to herself.

' What are you stupid? How are you supposed to find something in the dark and you don't even know the way,'argued her inner mind.

Sakura knew that she was taking a huge risk. It would be hard for her to find it since she didn't know the way.  
Moreover, it was dark and she may not even find it in the day.

But she knew that she had to.  
The dream had been bothering her for almost a week and she couldn't get it out of her mind.  
She just couldn't forget him...........

(flashback)

"Sakura"  
"Sakura"

And with a soft sigh, Ino yelled into Sakura's ear.

"SAKURA"  
"Huh? What?!" said Sakura as she snapped out of her reverie and stumbled onto the floor.

"Sakura, you've been sitting there like a statue all day. Snap out of it, or I might have to put you in an art musuem"  
said Ino sounding annoyed.

"Sorry"  
"How long have I been sitting here anyway?"said Sakura trying to give Ino a playful smile.

"Long enough. You probably would have been here till the next day if I hadn't 'disturbed' you,"said Ino as she gave Sakura a hand to pull her up onto the bench.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" said Ino as she turned to face Sakura.  
"I know that you're upset about Sasuke but it wasn't your fault. You tried your best,"said Ino giving Sakura an encouraging smile.

"I know,"said Sakura realising that she had almost forgotten about Sasuke.

She was too busy thinking about her dream that her mind had wandered from Sasuke.

It had been six months since Sasuke had left.  
During that period of time, Sakura had begun training with Tsunade to become a kunoichi (medical ninja).

Sakura's control of her chakura had greatly increased since then and she had begun learning diffrent types of jutsu's.

During the first few months, Sakura couldn't get Sasuke off her mind but she took her training seriously and used it as a distraction to refrain from thinking of Sasuke.

She remembered the day when Naruto and the rest of the rescue team had come back from their mission.  
Few were injured seriously and some had minor injuries.  
They had failed to bring Sasuke back.

She remembered everything that Naruto had told her.  
It was devastating news and it broke her heart to hear that Sasuke had tried to kill his team mate.  
He left willingly............He left me willingly............

He didn't care.................

That night, Sakura cried her eyes out on her balcony.  
As she looked up at the dark night sky, she whispered to the stars...........

' It's hard, i but I have to.  
I have to let him go..........'

With that she cried herself to sleep.  
(I do not own this song. It's called breakaway from kelly clarkson)

_' Grew up in a small town And when the rain would fall down I just stared out my window Dreaming of what could be And if I'd end up happy I would pray_

_Trying not to reach out But when I'd try to speak out Felt like no one could hear me Wanted to belong here But something felt so wrong here So I pray I could breakaway_

_I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly I'll do what it takes til' I touch the sky I'll make a wish Take a chance Make a change And breakaway Out of the darkness and into the sun But I won't forget all the ones that I loved I'll take a risk Take a chance Make a change And breakaway_

_Buildings with a hundred floors Swinging around revolving doors Maybe I don't know where they'll take me but Gotta keep moving on, moving on Fly away, breakaway_

_I'll spread my wings And I'll learn how to fly Though it's not easy to tell you goodbye I gotta take a risk Take a chance Make a change And breakaway Out of the darkness and into the sun But I won't forget the place I come from I gotta take a risk Take a chance Make a change And breakaway, breakaway, breakaway'_

' Sayounara, Sasuke-kun' whispered Sakura as she drifted off to sleep.

Sakura had finished her daily practice with Tsunade.  
Sakura sat down on the closest bench, trying to catch her breath after that two hour long practice.

Tsunade waved her goodbye and left.

Sakura had been up all night trying to figure out a way to prove if the dream was real.

She had tried going to ask Iruka since she had seen him in the dream but Iruka wasn't around.  
He had left on an A-rank mission due to the lack of shinobis since Orochimaru attacked the village.

Many chuunins were forced to take up these missions since the jounins were busy with the S-rank missions.

Naruto, Shikamaru and Neji had been given A-rank missions as well even though the only chuunin in the group was Shijkamaru.

She supposed it was because they had beaten a few strong opponents during their rescue mission.

Not like Naruto was complaining though, he was always complaining on how they had to go on D-rank micssions when they were still a team.

Sakura missed those days. She would have done anything to get her old team mates back together again.

Kakashi was rarely seen around the village nowadays.  
He was given S-rank missions that were far too dangerous for the other shinobis.

Now it seemed that Sakura was the only one left out and she wanted improve her techniques so that she would be included as well.

She wasn't the only one left out though, Ino and Hinata had been left out as well.

Their team mates were all on missions and they were only given C-rank missions to do.

Sakura had been on a team with them for two months and they seem to get along pretty well.  
Ino and her were best friends again although sometimes they got into small pretend fights just to prove their rivalry to the other Sasuke-fangirls.

Why do they still do it you ask?

Well sometimes it was for fun so that they could pretend that Sasuke was still around.  
The rescue mission had been kept a secret and not many knew what happened during the mission.  
Sakura had told Ino and they both decided that it was best to keep it secret for now.

If they had told the other fan girls, it would just cause what hope they had left to wither and not to mention glum and crying faces where ever they went.

So it was best not to mention even though they guessed that the other girls had guessed quite a bit of it and they were just acting like Sakura and Ino were. It was to keep their hope alive.  
Or what hope they had left.

Sakura looked up into the sky thinking of Sasuke.  
She remembered that in her dream, she had tried to fool Itachi with the fake story of her liking Sasuke.  
But in truth she liked Sasuke just because he looked a lot like his brother.

She sighed at the thought.  
'If only that were true, then it wouldn't hurt as much'  
'I do like Sasuke. Even though I can't recall much of my childhood, all I know is that i might have thought of Sasuke as his brother but I fell in love with him. Not because he looked like the boy in my dream, they may look alike but their attitudes are totally different. I love him....,'thought sakura to herself as she stared at the sky.

' I love you Sasuke, but since you left you have been wavering from my heart. I guess I must tell you........... goodbye Sasuke. But remember me, for I have loved you once,' she whispered as the wind blew her cherry blossom hair that had grown to her shoulders.

Sakura then turned her head towards the direction the wind was blowing from.  
She gasped as she realised she was staring at the same cherry blossom tree she had seen in her dream.

Her thoughts then went back to Itachi and now her curiosity was taking over.  
She had to find out if it was true.

Now, she just needed another proof.  
The cave.......'I have to find it',she thought to herself when Ino screamed into her ear.

(space)(space)(space)

"Sakura, did you hear?They have an opening for a B-rank mission,"cried Ino excitedly as they made their way towards Tsunade's office.

"I heard it from Shizune-san. She says that we might be able to take it since they don't have enough ninjas around"  
said Ino as they walked through town.

"Okay. But why are we going to Tsunade's office?I just finished training,"said Sakura as she waved at Hinata who was supposed to meet them outside the office.

Hinata joined them and they continued walking through town.

"Sorry I'm early, I saw you walking to town so I decided to follow you,"she said in a soft voice.

"It's okay. Besides early we were going to ask you to come along anyway,"said Ino to Hinata who blushed a little.

Sakura always found Hinata to be a nice and caring person.  
So when she was put into Sakura's and Ino's team, Sakura didn't mind the least after all it was nice to have an extra girl in their group to talk to.

"Why are we going to the Hokage-sama's office again?"asked Sakura who was devastated at the idea of having to see the hokage again after the long training she had.

"We're going to see if tsunade-sama will let us go for the B-rank mission,"Ino said as they walked up to Tsunade's office.

Her office was a large oval room that had a desk and three chairs.  
It was hardly decorated but then who would want to decorate the Hokage's office while she was doing her work.  
Everyone in the village knew that she got irritated rather easily when she was doing paperwork.  
And when she got irritated, she gets into a fit that could probably make a grown man faint.

They knocked on the door and entered to find that the Hokage was sleeping on her desk.  
Sakura and Ino walked over to her and started calling her name.

"Tsunade-sama"  
"Tsunade-sama, wake up"

"Huh?What?!"she said as her eyes began focusing on on the three gennins that stood before her.

"Oh, it's you three. So, what can I do to help you?" she said as she gave a big yawn.

"Ehm......we were wondering if you would aloow us to go on a B-rank mission?"Hinata said softly.

Both Sakura and Ino were suprised that she had spoken first since she was always the shy one.  
But they had guessed that her father must be putting a lot of pressure on her since she was going to be the next heir to the Hyuuga clan and that Neji had been going on A-rank missions while she had hardly made it to a B-rank mission.

They both pitied her but there was nothing they could do and they liked this shy and caring person anyway.

"Are you sure that all of you are ready? You will be going without any of your teachers and if something goes wrong there won't be anyone there to save you,"she said to them kindly.

"Yes we are. Don't worry about us, I'm sure we can handle this mission since we've been training so hard and besides, we have a kunoichi here with us,"said Ino as she took hold of Sakura's and Hinata's hand.

It was true that Sakura had made good progression within these few months, but she still had some things to learn.

After looking at their faces one by one, Tsunade finally decided to let them go.  
' After all, I'm sure that Sakura can handle this mision. I haven't seen such progression in anyone since Shizune,'thought Tsunade to herself.  
'This will come as an experience to all of them,'she thought again.

"Okay you get the mission. You will be protecting Shirika-hime. The mission isn't long, you'll have to protect her until she gets to her father's palace. She has her own body guards but they are not trained ninjas.  
You'll have to protect her from assasins. Is that clear?"she asked them making sure they understood.

"Crystal,"said Ino as she took a map from Tsunade.

"Good, you'll be leaving in two days,"Tsunade said again.

(end of flashback)

'I have to find that cave before I leave. I can't seem to consentrate on anything. I have to get it off my miond'  
Sakura said as she continued looking for the cave.

Sakura continued looking but still she couldn't find it. Not even a familiar sight.

' Maybe it was just a dream,'she said to herself as she leaned back against a tree to rest after searching for two hours.

As she closed her eyes, she heard his voice replay in her head.

'Close your eyes Sakura'  
'We're almost there'

She could even feel the warmth of his hand as he took hers in his.

' Okay, you can open your eyes now'

Sakura opened her eyes. But this time he was not there with her.  
She was alone. In an empty forest full of memories.

Tears flooded her eyes.

Unknown tears that have been kept locked inside her heart for too long.

Sakura didn't know why but she wanted him near her again.  
She wanted to hold him. She wanted to hear his voice.  
She wanted to see him.  
But most of all she wanted to love him again.

'Itachi, I don't want you to be a dream. I want you to be by my side' she whispered knowing that it was was stupid to cry and it could just be a dream.

Her heart broke at that thought.

Then suddenly, something caught her eye.  
It was a firefly flying throught the trees.

She stopped crying and followed the firefly.

She soon saw what seemed to a cave.  
She followed the firefly deeper into the tunnels of the cave.

(space)(space)(space)

Tears of joy and at the same time sadness rolled down her cheeks.

The cave was just as she remembered.

It was cool and damp.

But most importantly, the fireflies that she loved were there.  
They were beautiful, just as she remembered.

'Itachi, i wish that you could see this with me,'she whispered, tears still flooding her eyes.

'I don't know what happaned betweeen us, or why you left but I'll find out.One day I'll find out,'she thought to herself.

Sakura then leaned her head oh the cool stone wall of the cave and fell asleep.  
' I'll find you...........I'll find you.........,'she whispered before her world dissapeared around her.

(space)(space)(space)

Deep red eyes stared at her as she fell asleep.

He had been watching her for some time since she left the village.

"I'm sorry Sakura,"he whispered into her ear before turning to leave.

A/N I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I guess it's a bit too long but I can't stop my fingers from typing  
Hmm.......next chap.  
The mission begins............


	8. The mission starts

A/N Hello readers I'm finally back. Sorry it took so long to update. I had the story in my head but I was too lazy to update it in the computer. I hope that you'll enjoy this story. 

Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto, Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto-san. This is simply a fanfic.

sakura-angel113 - Thanks for the support.

Dagorwen of Ithilien - It's finally updated.Thanks for the support.

Hao'sAnjul - Well read this chapter then you'll get the idea about the mission.  
But the real action starts in the next chap.

waterfox96 - It's updated.

Shikage-Tsaya - Read this chap then you'll know.

AijinMegami - Updated!

xx-Tsumi-Chan-xx - Well, Sasuke appears here.

A/N Sorry to those who reviewed in the earlier chaps. I was too lazy to respond so I only responded to those who reviewed chapter 7. But I'll respond to those who review this chap. Hope you review after you read.Enjoy.

Sakura's eyes focused onto dark cold walls as she realised that she had fallen asleep inside the cave.  
She sat up as memories of the past night began flooding into her.

' It wasn't a dream... It was real,' Sakura whispered to herself as she took a last glance at the fireflies and made her way out of the cave.

The rays of the morning sun was blinding to her eyes, that had been in the dark for quite a period of time.

Slowly, her eyes adjusted to the light and she began travelling back to Konoha with the speed only a ninja could travel.

(space)(space)(space)

Sakura ran up into her room and packed the necessary provisions that she would be needing for the mission.

As she quietly crept down the stairs, she was careful not to make a sound so that she wouldn't have to face her mother.

"Sakura! Where did you go last night!" questioned her mother waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs.

' Oh, shit!' thought Sakura to herself.

" Ehm...I...err...,"stammered Sakura trying to keep a calm and innocent expression on her face.

" Did you know how worried I was? I was going to report to Hokage-sama if you hadn't turned up by morning"  
said her mother with a scowl on her face.

"Sorry, i just had to do a few...ehm...things...,"stammered Sakura again, thinking how her mother would take it if she told her that she had been out of the village last night looking for a cave.

' Better not say anything or mother might have a fit,' she thought to herself again.

"Sorry Mom but I have to go or I'll be late for the mission,"said Sakura trying to find an excuse to get away.

"Oh, alright. But Sakura, please be careful. I don't want to lose you,"said her mother as she gave Sakura a fond hug.

Sakura returned the hug and rushed out of the house, happy to get away from her concerned mother.

Ino and Hinata were supposed to meet her by the Konoha gates by 9.00 in the morning.  
It was already 9.15 and she knew that they would surely question her for being late.

(space)(space)(space)

Ino turned around after spotting Sakura running towards them to give her a wave.

"Where were you last night?" asked Ino after Sakura had approached them.

"How did you know I wasn't at home last night?"asked Sakura a little confused.

"Your Mom came over to see if you were at our house,"said Ino stating a fact.

"Oh, I...ehm...needed to...ehm...,"stammered Sakura but before she had finished her sentence, Tsunade walked up to them to instruct them on the mission.

(space)(space)(space)

After some explaining on their client's background, Tsunade sent them off on their mission.

They left the village, heading towards a large town located at west of Konoha.

" Ehm...looks like it'll take until sunset for us to reach the town,"said Ino who looked at the map and quickly destroyed it. This was to prevent enemy ninjas from getting information as to where the princess was.

"So we'll have to spend the night in the town since it was requested that travelling in the night was not favourable to the princess,"Ino said making a face that said ' What a spoiled princess!'

"But ... at least ...we get to spend the night in the town," said Hinata shyly.

"Well I guess that' s allright then. But we can't draw attention to ourselves since we're here on a mission,"said Ino.

"I think they have a hot spring there. I can't wait to try it out,"said Ino again suddenly looking forward to arriving at the town.

"Ehm...Sakura-chan ('chan' is used for people close to you). You have been a bit quiet, is everything allright"  
asked Hinata shyly noticing that Sakura hadn't said a thing since they left.

"Huh,what? Oh, Hinata-chan, sorry I was just thinking about something. No need to worry about me I'm just fine"  
said Sakura as she gave Hinata a smile.

"Ehm...Okay,"said Hinata still a little concerned.

It was true that Sakura had been rather quiet since they left.  
She was rather depressed knowing that they were headed West.

' Sasuke had left heading this direction,'thought Sakura to herself.  
' What should I do if I see him,'thought Sakura again.

'Why do you care? I thought you gave up on him?'asked her innermind.

It was true, why did she care?

After hearing that they were heading West, the thought of Sasuke had flashed through her mind.  
The times they had spent on mision, his dark piercing eyes,his sweet voice, his ...

' STOP! I can't think of him anymore. He has already brought me so much pain,'thought Sakura to herself.  
' But, I can't seem to forget him. It hurts so much, I just want to see him,' thought Sakura again.

It was true that Sakura had spent the last six months trying to forget him. It was hard at first but as time went by she occupied herself with training rather than thinking of him.

Then the dreams started to appear. Sakura had always loved Sasuke for as long as she could remember but then how much did she really remember?

The time when she had moved to Konoha was only a blur to her with only fragments of memories of her years when she first started the academy.

At first she really couldn't bother about it but as the dreams and the memories began to unfold, she began questioning herself.

Sakura knew that she had always wanted to be loved but Sasuke never showed her any of that.

She knew that she had been forgetting something important but what was it?

Sometimes she felt so close to Sasuke although she barely knew him but in her heart he felt rather distant to her.  
It was like she knew him but she didn't.

Sakura's mind often pondered on these questions but she never found the answer.

(space)(space)(space)

As she pondered on them, the memory of her dreams began flashing through her mind.  
Her mind had only given one word to her as an aswer...

'Itachi'

(space)(space)(space)

They had finally reached the town known as ' Soraten' by sunset.

Sakura walked throught the town with her team mates as the blue horizon turned to the colour of gold and autumn coloured leaves.

Sakura had always loved the sunset. It reminded her of the times when she was a child, when she would sit under a tree to watch the sunset before her mother would chase her to get back into the house.

The thought of that brought a smile to Sakura's lips.

" What's so amusing Sakura,"asked Ino who turned to her left to see Sakura smiling.

"Oh, nothing. Just thinking,"said Sakura who was relieved to get to the town after all the travelling and running she did earlier.

"Of what?" asked Hinata who was too tired to be shy when she realised that she had been so straight forward ot Sakura.  
Hinata quickly apologised for being 'rude' if she was.

Sakura giggled a little seeing Hinata act that way.  
" Hinata-chan, you don't have to be formal in front of us. Just be yourself,"said Sakura said Sakura giving Hinata a fond smile.

" Sakura's right. But just don't be like 'big -forehead' over here when it comes to chasing after guys,"said Ino referring to Sakura while giving Hinata a wink.

"What's that I heard Ino-pig!" asked Sakura while glaring at Ino.

"You heard me correct, 'big-forehead'-chan,"said Ino glaring at Sakura.

The people around them seemed to have felt the tension arise between the two of them and quickly walked away.

After a two-minute glaring contest, Sakura and Ino burst out into a fit of laughter.  
"Ha...Ha...I...can't...believe it...ha..ha...still works,"said Ino.

"Your right...ha ...ha...,"said Sakura feeling a little more herself again.

By that time Hinata had already gotten used to their antics and giggled along with them.

They finally found the hotel they were staying in.  
To Ino's pleasure, the hotel has it's very own hot spring.

"Yippee, I can't wait to try it out,"said Ino as they unpacked their things and changed to the hotel's hot spring robes.

(space)(space)(space)

They had finally finished their baths in the hot spring.

Hinata and Sakura were as dead tired as the corpses in a grave yard but Ino seem to have plenty of energy left.

"That was a great bath. Too bad tomorrow we have to leave,"said Ino enthusiastictly.

"Where are we meeting the princess again?"asked Sakura who was on the verge of falling into dreamland.

"At the shrine just outside the town. I think she's staying there,"said Ino looking at a scroll.

"Why would she be staying at a shrine?"asked Sakura again.

"It's not exactly a small shrine you know.It's huge and I think she went there to pray,"said Ino as she went on about how huge and magnificient the shrine is.

What Ino didn't know was that both her team mates were already asleep.  
"And then the halls were renovated after there was a raid during..."Ino said and sighed as she realised that they were both asleep.

(space)(space)(space)

It was rather early in the morning and the whole town was still asleep.

The pale morning rays shone down on Sakura's face making her look like an angel.

A dark figure crept unto the ledge where Sakura's bed was facing.  
Careful not to wake any of the sleeping ninjas in the room, the figure crept silently towrds Sakura's bed.

Watching her sleeping and looking so angelic was breaking his heart. He knew that he would never be able to harm her. But he knew he alrady had. He had broken her heart.

'Sakura, why are you here? I would never be able to hurt you, you're making me soft. Like you always did'  
whispered Sasuke to the sleeping Sakura.

He knew he had a mission to finish but would he be able to? When the person he was up against was the one person he had always loved.

Not that he would admit it. He had always had a fond feeling for the pink haired ninja ,which had grown into something more. Something more than friendship, more than ...fondness.

Without even realising it, Sasuke had been stringing her hair.  
'She smells nice...WHAT! GET A GRIP!'thought Sasuke to himself, keeping a cool demeanor.

As he looked down his sleeping former-team mate, he realised that they were so close.  
If he wanted he could have lowered his lips a few centimetres to kiss her soft rosy lips.

'STOP!I have to leave before she wakes up,'argued Sasuke with himself although his face remained expressionless.

' Sayounara(goodbye), Sakura,'whispered Sasuke into her ear.

(space)(space)(space)

Sakura was the first to wake after having a dream about someone saying goodbye to her.  
'Weird, it sounded a lot like Sasuke's voice,'said Sakura to herself a little depressed.  
'Sasuke...'

(space)(space)(space)

Sakura and her team mates left the town and made their way towards the shrine.

The shrine was indeed huge. It looked more like a palace.

Shirika-hime(Princess Shirika), was sitting in the guest hall.  
They approached her and introduced themselves.

"Ohayo gozaimasu(Good morning) Shirika-hime. We will be guarding you until you reach your father's palace"  
Sakura said politely to the princess.

"Very well. But I remember requesting for STRONG ninjas,"said the princess with an air of arrogance after seeing the three female ninjas which were of her age.

Ino looked like she was about to yell at the princess but luckily Sakura interrupted her.  
"Shirika-hime, I assure you that our team is capable of protecting you. After all this is a B-rank mission and we are required to only protect you and not to assasinate anyone,"said Sakura calmly to the princess although she was offended as well.

"Very well then. But I do hope that you do not screw this mission up,"she said still looking doubtful.

(space)(space)(space)

They left after saying their prayers in the shrine.  
Her bodyguards trailing behing her.

" It should take us two days to reach your father's palace,"Sakura said to Shirika-hime who was sitting in her coach ( pulled by horses) looking rather bored.

They travelled through many forests and stopped at a small clearing.  
"It's going to be nightfall. We should make camp here,"said Sakura to the party she was travelling with.

"WHAT!Here?Ewwww...in this forest?"screeched the princess.

"We don't have a choice,"said Ino who rolled her eyes clearly irritated by the princess.

"I'm afraid that my team mate is right.We still have another day ahead of us before we reach another town,"said Sakura to the princess.

"But what about assasins? Isn't it easier to kill someone in the forest,"asked the princess again clearly distressed.

"Don't worry about that. We'll each take turns to guard the camp. My team mate has already put up the traps while we were talking," said Sakura indicating to Hinata who had been setting the traps while they were making camp.

"Oh, well then I guess it's alright,"said the princess again who went inside her coach to turn in for the night.

(space)(space)(space)

" It's alright Hinata I'll take the first watch. You and Ino head to bed. I'll wake you up for the next watch,"said Sakura to her exhausted team mate.

"Okay Sakura-chan. Be careful,"said Hinata shyly as she and Ino went to sleep.

(flashback)

_"Sasuke-kun, it's alright I'll take the first watch,"said Sakura sweetly to Sasuke._

_Sasuke simply walked away coldly indicating that he was going to sleep.  
"Sakura-chan, why do you offer to take the first watch when it's his turn and not mine?"asked Naruto.  
"You never do it for me,"said Naruto again._

_"Urusai,(shut up) Sasuke's going to sleep so be quiet,"said Sakura to Naruto.  
"Sakura-chan..."Naruto said making a 'sakura-is-so-mean-and-she-only-loves-sasuke' puppy dog face._

(end of flasback)

Sakura smiled slightly at the flasback.

Oh, how she missed those days.  
' I wish that Sasuke didn't leave.'

Just as she thought about that, a kunai aimed for her hit a nearby tree just as she moved in time to avoid it.

Then a dark figure appeared infront of her.

A/N Ha Ha, a cliffie. Mwuahahaha I hope that you all will review. And please tell me if Sasuke is OOC or not cause I'm not sure. Actually I'm not really sure if this fic is gonna be a Sasuke/Sakura or a Itachi/Sakura.  
But most probably a Itachi/Sakura story,(sorry to all Sakura/Sasuke fans).But I can assure you that there'll be Sakura/Sasuke parts in this story as well. Till next time. Ja ne.


	9. Betrayal and Frienship

A/N Sorry I took some time to update. I was stuck on reading other stories that I didn't have time to write my own.  
bows down japanese style Gomen Nasai Minasan(sorry everyone).I hope you enjoy this chappie.

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This is simply a fanfic.

nkitty29 - already updated,(this chap) enjoy!

Magicians of the Yami - I'm not that good at writing ftighting scenes but I hope you enjoy.

Shikage-Tsaya - Thanks! Yeah, the princess is a bit too much. I wanted to insult someone in here so I decided to insult her.

joann - Thanks for reviewing, I wanted to put in some memories that would make Itachi seem more lovable.  
(not that he isn't already)

waterfox96 - It's a Sakura/Itachi so don't worry. Enjoy the chap!

sakura-angel113 - Thank! Enjoy the chap!

Dagorwen of Ithilien - Updated, enjoy this chap!

AijinMegami - Sorry about the cliffie, I just can't resist. I seem to like putting in clieffie's. Please enjoy!

emir - Thanks for reviewing, enjoy!

sakuya-chan - Thanks, sorry about the slow chappie. Enjoy!

Hao'sAnjul - bows down with head touching the floor japanese style I'm sorry, I can't resist making the chappie hanging.

xx-Tsumi-Chan-xx - I know I'm confusing everyone with who Sakura's gonna be with but I wanted to make this a love triangle. Sakura'll end up with Itachi in the end though.

Prissy - Thanks!

A/N This chap is mostly about Sakura and her teammates and a slight glimpse of Sasuke( literally). You'll see what I mean. Enjoy!

(space)(space)(space)

'Damn it!' thought Sakura as she dodged another five shurikens that the dark clad figure threw at her.  
Sakura had been caught offguard. She didn't sense his chakura in time until he had thrown a kunai at her earlier.

Sakura wasn't as careless as to let an enemy get to her before she could his chakura but this time, although she hated to admit it, she had been caught offguard.

'He isn't an ordinary ninja, if I couldn't even sense his chakura before he attacked,'she thought again as she dodged another three shurikens.

' Why is he only using these simple attacks? He could have finished me off, when he still had the element of suprise!  
'He must be toying with me!'thought Sakura again.

Sakura landed on a branch of a tree, right above the figure.  
She quickly slid into the tree's shadow and hid herself from view, to study the situation better.

(space)(space)(space)

' So, she's trying to play hide and seek', thought the figure as his lips curled into an amused smile.  
' Well, then I guess I'll have to play along,'he thought again, his eyes dancing in amusement.

(space)(space)(space)

Sakura took a quick peek at the figure who was standing a few steps away.  
She studied the figure, he was clad in black and he also wore a mask which almost covered his whole face.

The pale moon rays reflected his headband which showed that he was a Sound-nin.

Sakura shivered a litle as a chilling breeze swept by her.  
Why would a Sound-nin attack her? Does Orochimaru want something?

'The princess!' thought Sakura in panic.  
She had nearly forgotten about their mission, she had been too busy fighting the figure.

'But why does Orochimaru want her. Randsom?'thought Sakura again but thought better of it since Orochimaru doesn't seem to be the type of person to kidnap someone to ask for randsom money.

It had to be something else, but what?

(flashback)

Sakura and her teammates were about to leave the shrine when they heard the head priest calling out to them.

They stopped in their tracks and turned around to look at the priest.  
" Shirika-hime, I hope you have a safe journey to your father's palace. Here, take this,"said the head priest as he handed her a small parcel, wrapped in gold woven cloth.

"It's for good luck and prosperity for your father's country.Give it to your father when you arrive back home,"said the priest again.

Before heading on, Sakura had turned back to look at the priest.  
He was still standind there, waving them off but now he had a doubtful look on his face as though he was arguing with himself about something.

Sakura thought nothing of it and shrugged it off.  
(end of flasback)

' The parcel, there must be somthing inside that Orochimaru wants,' Sakura thought to herself.  
'I have to warn the others,' she thought again.

"AHH! " Sakura heard someone scream. It was coming from the camp, and it sounded like the princess.

'Shit! The others must have been attacked while I was fighting this Sound-nin,'thought Sakura in panic.

As though hearing what she said, the figure turned his head to look at the direction of the camp.  
"Your friends are getting attacked. You don't have time to play hide and seek,"said the figure , his voice was almost hidden along with the rest of his face but Sakura heard it.

'Damn it, I guess I'll have to use the traps,' she thought to herself as she jumped out of the shadow of a tree, right behind the figure.

She threw three shurikens at the figure who easily avoided it.  
'Kuso!(shit!)he's good,' thought Sakura again as she threw ten kunais at him again.

The figure leapt onto the nearest treebranch, avoiding all ten of the kunais.

'Now!' thought Sakura as she activated the traps.

The tree burst into flames and the figure fell from the tree.  
'It worked,'thought Sakura, the figure lay unconcious, a few steps away from her.

Sakura quickly left the figure and headed for the camp.  
The first thing she saw was that Ino and Hinata were holding kunais in their hands, guarding the princess, back to back.

The princess was in tears while holding the parcel.  
Their attackers were non other than the guards themselves.

"How could you betray me! My father will have your heads for this treatment,"the princess spat at them. The guards laughed and revealed their true iddentity.

They were all Sound-nins.  
All five of them were chuunins, judging by the amount of chakura they had.

The first of the guards attacked Ino and Hinata while the others aimed for the princess.

Sakura leapt out of the tree she was hiding in and threw two kunais at the Sound-nins. 

They avoided the kunais and Sakura used the sitution to her advantage to get inside the circle that made was up of Ino, Hinata and the princess.

She stood in battle position, with a kunai in her hand, back to back with Ino and Hinata, with the princess in the middle of the circle.

Hinata tried attacking the first sound-nin but she was caught off when another sound-nin threw a kunai at her.  
Blood spluttered on the ground as Hinata fell to her knees.

With what sounded like a desperate cry, Hinata activated her byaakugan.  
Accurately using her gentle-fist, Hinata managed to knock her two attackers unconcious.

More blood spilled unto the ground as Hinata collapsed.

"Hinata!" cried Ino who ran to Hinata, seeing her on the ground with blood covering her left shoulder.

'Hinata-chan!" thought Sakura in panic as she avoided an attack from a tall Sound-nin in front of her.

Since Ino was attending to Hinata, Sakura was the only one left guarding the princess.It was one Gennin against three Chuunin Sound-nins.

She knew she was outnumbered.  
Even with Ino's help, it wouldn't make much of a difference.

She knew that it would be useless to fight.  
Her attempts would be futile.

"Hinata, hang on, don't pass out on me!" Sakura heard Ino shouting at Hinata.

(space)(space)(space)

A dark clad figure hid behind a shadow of a tree while watching the events that were happening to Sakura and her teammates.

'Not bad, she managed to outsmart my kage-bunshin(shadow replica) with a mere trap,'thought a figure who smirked inwardly.

'I wonder how she'll get out of this,' he thought again.

With a sigh, he realised that he was thinking of her again.  
' Damn, why does she do this to me?' he thought to himself.

The figure knew that he had to follow Orochimaru's ordres to retrieve the parcel and kill anyone who gets in the way but, would he be able to?

Against her?  
Against his Sakura?

(space)(space)(space)

Sakura ran towards the princess as she tried to grab the parcel.  
" What are you doing? Let go of MY parcel!"said the princess still refusing to let go.  
"Trust me, it's for your own good,"said Sakura as the princess reluctantly let go.

Sakura turned around to face the three remaining Sound-nins.  
"Hand us the parcel and you won't get hurt,"said one of the Sound-nins.

"If I hand you the parcel then I won't get harmed?"asked Sakura.  
"Yes, but your friends will be a different issue,"said the Sound-nin with a cruel smile.

After what seemed to be a long pause, Sakura finally broke the silence.  
"I'll hand to you, if you let me live. I don't care about the others. I just want to know that you will keep your promise"  
said Sakura to the Sound-nin.

"WHAT! Sakura what are you doing? You can't..."trailed off Ino when Sakura yelled at her.  
"Shut up Ino-pig. I have the parcel, so if I get to live then it's my choice!"said Sakura as she stared hard at Ino.

' Oh, please let her get what I'm trying to do,' Sakura prayed inwardly.

Ino glared at Sakura, unable to believe that Sakura would betray them.

' Wait, this sounds familiar. This reminds me of...Shikamaru. He used this scheme once when we were on a mission'  
thought Ino to herself.

Finally getting the plan, Ino yelled back in Sakura with fake tears in her eyes.

"How could you Sakura! After all this time we've been friends,I can't belive that you would stoop so low as to betray us.  
Big-forehead!"yelled Ino at Sakura, inwardly telling her that she got the plan.

"Who cares about frienship! I just want to live!"yelled Sakura again getting the message.

" What?"yelled the princess obviously not getting a clue.

Sakura ignored the princess and threw the parcel at the Sound-nins.

"Now! Ino take the princess and Hinata and run,"said Sakura to Ino.

Ino nodded in agreement and grabbed whole of both of them as she raced away from the camp site.  
' Sakura, thank you. Please come back safely, I can't bear to lose you,' Ino thought as she headed West to the palace.

(space)(space)(space)

The parcel dissappered in a slight 'poof.  
"A kage-bunshin(shadow replica)! How dare you!" said the ninjas as they attacked Sakura.

Sakura was carrying the parcel in her left secret vest.  
No one knew she had one except her teammates (old and new).

Sakura's right hand was covered in blue chakura as she activated the justu(technique) that Tsunade had thought her.

She moved with the agility of a fox and managed to attack the Sound-nins.  
Two parties were injured very badly.

Even though Sakura was a Gennin, she knew that she had gotten stronger since she was still in team seven.  
She was weak then, but now, she wasn't going to be the weak one anymore.

Sakura kicked the remaining Sound-nins away with a final kick in which she used the last of her chakura.

Her right arm and leg were bleeding but she didn't care.  
Once the Sound-nins were at last wounded seriously and lying unconcious on the floor, she made a dash for the palace.

It was two hours away if she traveled with the speed of a shinobi.  
Her eyes were blurring and pain was intoxicating her.

She finally made a stop, after tripping on another branch.

By then she was half way there but she had also lost a lot of blood.

' I have to take the parcel to the palace...'thought Sakura as she fought to mantain conciousness.

(space)(space)(space)

A dark clad figure watched as she tripped on another branch.

' She lost a lot of blood,'he thought to himself.

He had been following her since she left.  
He finally saw that she couldn't continue.

The figure leapt from the tree and landed beside her.

(space)(space)(space)

Sakura looked to her right to see the dark clad figure she had fought with earlier.

She could barely make out that it was him.  
The pale moon rays shone onto his face, reflecting his dark piercing eyes that stared at her.

Her world faded into darkness as she collapsed to the ground.  
'Sasuke...'

It was the last thing she remembered before dakness engulfed her.

A/N Sorry that I left it hanging. So what did you think? Please review to let me know. Oh, and the figure is definitely Sasuke. If he is or gets a little OOC in the story, sorry but I can't help it. I need him to be like that.  
sigh My exams are coming up, I HATE exams! I guess I won't be updating for sometime until my exams are over.  
Ja ne, until next time. ( which I hope won't be too long) 


	10. Dancing flames

A/N Sigh, I totally flunked my maths...STUPID EXAMS! Anyway, thanks for all the reviews... 

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This is simply a fanfic.

kawai kitsune - I hate the princess too. And yes, you are the 60th reviewer.

kAze-RyU - Yeah, there are too many sasu/saku out there. I think that this pair is cute(saku/ita) too.

sakura-angel113 - Thanks, enjoy this chap.

nkitty29 - Updated! Enjoy!

waterfox96 - Don't worry he's coming in in the next chap.

Hao'sAnjul - I know I'm evil (bows down) so sorry but i like leaving cliffie's

allyluv - Thanks, sorry 'bout the cliffie, anyway enjoy!

springninja - Thanks! But I flunked my maths...(starts crying) Enjoy this chappie!

Dagorwen of Ithilien - Updated! Sorry took so long, STUPID EXAMS! Anyway enjoy!

(space)(space)(space)

_It was a restless night.  
Sakura couldn't help but to toss and turn in her bed, trying to get to sleep.  
She knew something was wrong.  
The empty feeling in her heart told her that something had just happened._

_She couldn't take it anymore, she jumped out of bed and slipped into her coat.  
She had to see him, something did not feel right._

_She crept out of the house, silently, as to avoid waking her mother who slept in the room next to hers._

_She slipped out of the front door.  
The night air was cool as it gently caressed her face._

_'I have to see him...,'she thought to herself as she ran towards the Uchiha's house._

_The next few scenes were unclear to her._

_Sakura remembered walking between houses that were not lit.  
She remembered seeing bodies lying on the ground.  
She recalled the fear that gripped her heart._

_It was not the fear of dying, it was the fear of seeing him among the dead bodies._

_Blood coloured the ground, it seemed to have covered every household in the neighbourhood.  
Sakura ran faster._

_'Where is he? Please let him be safe...' she thought to herself as she rushed towrads his house.  
The scene that stood before her, made the blood in her veins turn cold._

_She saw him holding a katana in his hand which was covered in blood.  
She saw him approaching Sasuke who was in front of him.  
She saw the dead bodies of their parents lying on the floor._

_She tried to move but her body seemed to have a mind of its own.  
No matter how hard she tried to run away from this horrifying scene before her, her body wouldn't move a muscle._

_Hot tears stung her eyes .  
'Why...Itachi? Why?_

_The rest the incident came in sequences._

_She saw Sasuke running away from him.  
Itachi soon strolled out in pursuit._

_Sakura managed to gain control of her body, she ran out of the house.  
And the next thing she knew , Itachi was standing in front of her._

_She must have ran quite a distance judging by the change of landscape._

_She remembered asking him" Why Itachi? Why..."she asked between sobs.  
His usual loving stare was replaced by one she had never encountered from him before._

_His eyes were cold and lifeless.  
His usual warm demeanor seemed to have vanished, replaced by a dark and forbidding aura._

_Where was the Itachi she knew?_

_The next thing that happened was unknown to her.  
She knew that he had done something to her, but what?_

_What did he do to make her forget everything about him?  
Why did he even let her live?  
Why did he kill his own clan?_

_But most importantly, why did he leave her?  
Why Itachi?  
Why..._

(space)(space)(space)

The night sky was covered by the tall growing trees of the forest, except for the occasional glimpse of the moon.

Sakura opened her eyes.  
Images around her were a blur but she managed to make out the fire that burned directly oppostie from her.

Sakura watched as the flames danced to the rhythm of the gentle wind that softly blew through the trees.  
The orange flames seemed almost lifelike under the twilight sky.

She tried to move but the ache of her arm and leg seemed to have paralysed her to the ground.

" So you're finally awake?" said a dark clad figure as he landed beside her.

Sakura's head shot up to find the source of the voice was none other that the man that had caused her so much pain during the last few months.

"Sasuke?" she asked as she finally managed to sit up against a tree trunk.  
"What happened?"she asked him again.

" I saved you ,that's what. Don't you remember what happened?" he asked in his usual cold voice,  
not taking his gaze of her.

Recent events soon began playing again in her mind.

' The package..!' she thought in panic.  
But she soon realised that it was still in her left vest.

' I hope Ino and the others are safe,' she thought again.

She quickly snapped out of her daze as she was beginning to get a clear picture of what was going on.

1. I'm injured and I suppose I won't be able to defend myself if anyone attacks.  
2. I'm sitting here in the middle of, where am I again?Oh yeah, a forest near the village where Ino and the others are.  
3. Standing in front of me is the one person that I had a crush on for like what? Years?  
4. He is now a sound-nin and I assume the guy who I fought with earlier only I think that it was his kage bushin I was fighting with.  
5. He now works for Orochimaru so I assume that he's after the package.  
6. Why in the world did he save me?(judging by my bandaged arm and leg) I thought he didn't give a damn about me?  
7. I probably wouldn't be able to escape from him, he's much stronger.  
8. Why is he looking at me like that?  
9. AHhhh! Why is he so damn good looking? I can't believe that I'm falling for my enemy! (ahem)Again.  
10. I have to protect the package since it seems to be important.( Well, if Orochimaru wants it, it has to be)  
11.I guess I'll try to convince him to come back to Konoha. (not like I haven't tried to stop him from leaving and look at what happened, he left and I was left with a broken heart, not to mention nights of crying)  
12. And why is he still looking at me like that?

Sakura finally broke from her thoughts and looked up at Sasuke.

' Okay, I'll handle things one at a time,'she said to herself.

"Sasuke why are you staring at me like that?" she asked him.  
' Great Sakura! Of all the things you could have asked you had to ask that!' her inner mind shouted at her.

"Like what? " he asked clearly amused.  
"Like you haven't eaten in days and I happen to be the only thing around to eat,"she answered him.

He chuckled and seemed to eye her with a slight smirk.

" Sasuke what do you want?"she asked him in a serious tone.  
"What do you think I want Sakura?" he asked her smirking a little more.

' He's toying with me,' Sakura thought to herself.

She decided not to push it any further.  
" Why did you save me Sasuke?" she asked him again.

" I owed you one, for the time you saved me from getting hit by Gaara(for those who don't know, it's in the anime),'he said to her.  
" Now we're even,"he said to her again.

" Are you going to hurt me again now since we're even? I assume that you're after the package,"she said to him eyeing him suspiciously.

" And I guess you probably know that I have it,"she said again this time sounding serious.

Sasuke chuckled a little.  
" Same old Sakura, always getting the facts first,"he said with an amused grin.

"I won't hurt you Sakura. Just give me the package, then I'll leave,"he said to her as he took a few steps forward.

" You know I won't give it to you without a fight," she said to him as she stood up, the tree supporting her weight.

' She's changed, a few months ago, she would have given anything to me willingly,' Sasuke thought to himself.  
Sakura nearly fell back unto the ground as one of her legs gave way but she managed to keep herself standing.

Sasuke wanted to rush to her side to support her but he kept himself in line.  
He wouldn't give in to these damn feelings, especially not in front of her.  
These feelings would make him weak, so he had decided to ignore anything that involved a relationship whether frienship or somthing else.  
All he wanted to do was to kill his brother!  
He was an avenger, hate and strenght was the only thing he needed.

" Don't bother fighting Sakura, you're too weak to. I could just easily take it from you,"he said to her coming closer still.

" Then why didn't you take it while I was sleeping,"she asked him, he was only inches away from her and she could almost feel his breath on her bare neck.

" It's in your left vest that you always keep hidden. I'm sure you didn't want to me to sexually harass you while you were sleeping did you?" he whispered into her ear.

Sakura felt her heart beat quicken, why did his voice always have to intrigue her this way?  
He was pratically pinning her against the tree, she had nowhere to run this time.

"Sakura, I don't want to hurt you,"he whispered again into her ear.

Months ago she would have given anything to be in a situation like this.  
I mean what would you do if the person you had a crush on for years had pinned you to a tree and was now whispering in his bedroom voice( well, i assumed it's that )to you and you are only milimitres apart?

Blush? Freak out? Fall head over heels again? These were the many questions that went through Sakura's head.  
But...something did not feel right.

Months ago she might have done all three at once but now it felt so different.  
Only one image entered her mind...Itachi...

She had to find him, she did not care if it would mean her dying in the process, but she just had to...

She had to find out...What happened? Why did he do it?  
She knew that it couldn't possibly be because he wanted to test his strenght and taking it out on his family or simply to see if he could do it.

If all of her dreams were what really happened when she was younger, then she knew that there was surely more to it than meets the eye.

"Sasuke...,"Sakura said to the figure in front of her( milimetres to be exact.  
" I'm not giving it to you without a fight,"she said to him again.

Sasuke seemed surprised at her reaction.  
' She really has changed,' he thought to himself again.

Sasuke soon snapped out of his thoughts as he sensed someone approaching.

He moved away from Sakura and picked up a kunai.

Sakura sensed the chakura too and decided that the owner of the chakura must be a relatively strong ninja.  
The chakura was strong and the owner must be purposely not hiding his chakura to alert them that he was coming.

"Itachi...," Sasuke growled after activating his sharingan.His voice poured with pure venom.

' How 'lucky' of me. Two Uchiha's in the same place,' she mentally sighed.

A/N Please review. I love reviews...I hope you all enjoyed this chappie. BTW, the more reviews I get, the faster I update.  
Ja ne. Until next time.


	11. My crimson blood

A/N Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers for sending in all those wonderful reviews. I dedicate this chapter to all of you out there. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. 

cuito - Thanks for reading!

kAze-RyU - Updated! Enjoy!

Lady Light - I like Itachi too!

Tsuki Angel - I'm not telling just yet but I will eventually put it in the story when Itachi decides to tell Sakura about everything. Enjoy, the chap!

sakura-angel113 - Updated! This chapter is kinda sad when Itachi appears to Sakura. You'll see what I mean.

candy44 - Updated! Enjoy! If this chap is a bit slow...sorry.

waterfox96 - Sorry about the last chapter being short but I didn't really have any idea what to write so I just wrote something short. Anyway, enjoy! (It's not that short this time)

Hao'sAnjul - You must like Itachi. Me too! Enjoy!

springninja - Thanks for supporting this story. And yes, it does help. Thank you so much! Enjoy!

joann - Updated! Enjoy the chappie!

kawaii kitsune-kun - No! Please don't hunt me down and tie me in front of the computer! It's updated !(starts to run away before kawaii kitsune- kun hunts me down)

RyuNanashi - Yep, it's definitely a Itachi x Sakura.

Dagorwen of Ithilien - We suffer the same fate! Oh no, someone pity us! Lol, anyway enjoy!

kira-924 - I'm sorry it's a Sakura x Itachi and not a Sakura x Sasuke but I do hope you enjoy reading this fic.Enjoy!

AnimeSenko - Thanks! But it's kinda sad on what happens. But things will eventually clear up though.

arandomreader - Thanks for the review. Enjoy!

cruisegirl86 - Well, it is a Sakura x Itachi so no worries! Sasuke will just be friends with Sakura in the end although he won't want to give her up to Itachi during the earlier chapters. Enjoy!

xx-Tsumi-Chan-xx - So sorry about the cliff hanger. (I have another one in here as well...)SORRRY!But I just can't help it. I hope you enjoy this chap!Don't kill me!

(space)(space)(space)

_"Itachi...," Sasuke growled after activating his sharingan.His voice poured with pure venom._

_' How 'lucky' of me. Two Uchiha's in the same place,' she mentally sighed._

(space)(space)(space)

' Well, at least I get to see him. ...Itachi...Will you know me?' Sakura silently asked.

(space)(space)(space)

(a few hours earlier)

The brightly lit town had now turned into a town of shadows under the pale rays of the moon.

A lone figure walked among the shadows, silent as a ghost.  
The figure had waited till midnight before he had to make his move.

The town was silent, the moon's silky beams illuminated the town, making it look almost dreamlike.  
It was the perfect time to gather information.

The figure silently crept through the walls of the huge palace that was the pride of the town.  
It was indeed a magnificient palace, but at that moment, the figure did not spare even a second glance at the beauty of the palace nor it's glorious towers.

Right now, his mission was all that mattered.  
What he had been striving for all these years, was at stake.

Everything he had been fighting for, everything he had done,  
everything he had sacrificed.  
Tonight was the night he would find out.

Has it begun?  
All these years of keeping it secret.  
Was tonight the end of it?

The dark cloaked figure entered the palace, hiding among the shadows of the many passageways and halls.

A sudden bell was rang loudly through the palace.  
The palace began to light up.

The figure could only have guessed only one possibility for the sudden change of atmosphere.  
' Finally,'thought the figure to himself.

(space)(space)(space)

The town was almost in sight.

Ino quickened her pace and rushed to the town.  
The princess was not wounded but Hinata was.

Blood had begun to seep through Hinata's jacket, staining Ino's clothes.  
Her concern for her friend had given her the energy to continue on through the night even though her energy was already draining from her.

Ino finally reached the palace and called out, announcing that they had brought the princess back.

The palace immediately began to light up and the palace bells were rung.  
Ino and the others were led into the palace and a few doctors took Hinata to the medical room.

The princess was alright but slightly shaken up from the fact that she had nearly been killed that night.  
Shirika-hime was then carried back to her chambers(A/N ehm...room or whatever you call it)

" My lord, my other teammate stayed behind to fight the other ninja's while we made our escape. Please, I need to for ask help. Do you have a messenger bird anywhere?"Ino asked desperately,  
thinking about all the things that might have happened to Sakura.

She then related to the king about all that's happened that night.

The king ordered for a message to be sent to Konoha asking for help.  
' It would be at least a day before they reach us here. I need to find Sakura before it's too late.  
What if she's fighting for her life and badly wounded or even maybe even dea...No! I can't think of such things,  
I have to save her,'thought Ino as she made her way out of the palace.

She felt arms hold her back as she started for the palace gates.  
" Hinata! You should be resting!" said Ino to Hinata who was barely standing straight.

"Ino, you can't go. I know you want to, I want to as well but we wouldn't be able to stand a chance in our conditions.  
Ino look at you, you used up all of your energy getting us here.You can't expect to fight the ninjas in your state,"said Hinata who looked like she was going to cry. Her usual nervous and shy expression was relaced by a determined one.

" But Sakura...she'll di...,"said Ino in protest before Hinata cut in.  
" She won't die Ino. She's strong, the best amongst the three of us and you know it. We'll only be a hindrance to her in our state," said Hinata again as she clenched her fist.

' I want to save her too,'Hinata thought to herself.

" B..but..."stammered Ino as tears threatened to form in her eyes.  
"We'll leave the rest to Konoha, there's nothing we can do for her now except to hope that she'll be fine"  
said Hinata again.

(space)(space)(space)

The figure had been listening intently to the conversation that had taken place between a blonde haired shinobi and the king.

He hid silently among the pillars that cornered the great halls.  
What he heard had made the blood boil in him for the first time in years.

' OROCHIMARU! I'll KILL that bastard!' thought the figure to himself as he clenched his fists.  
' I hope I'm not too late,' he thought to himself again as he sped off towards the forest near the town.

' Sakura...please be alright,' he whispered to the wind as he sped through the trees.  
'I'll never forgive myself if anything happens to you.'

(space)(space)(space)

Sakura could sense that the owner of the chakura was getting rapidly closer.  
She didn't know why, but suddenly she felt nervous.

The pain from her wounded arm and leg was immediately forgotten.  
' Will he know me?'she thought to herself, fearing the answer.

Either way, it would hurt her like hell.  
1. If yes- then why did he leave?  
-why did he kill his clan?  
2.If no- then she knew for certain that she was going crazy.  
(I was up in the clouds dreaming about some fantasy that never happened)  
A fantasy? A made up situation?  
She wouldn't be able to take it.

" Itachi! Come out you bastard! I know you're here!"growled Sasuke in a low voice.

(space)(space)(space)

Itachi had finally reach a clearing where he had sensed Sakura's chakura but he didn't expect to sense his brother's as well.

' What's he doing here?'Itachi thought to himself. He had overheard earlier that Sakura stayed behind so that her teammates could get away, he also overheard about a certain parcel that she was protecting while the others made their getaway but he never heard that his brother was one of the attackers. And since when was Sasuke a sound-nin?

He decided to ponder on those questions later but right now his first priority was to save Sakura.  
He saw her leaning against a tree, her arm and leg were bandaged but she looked pale.

' I'll KILL the ninjas that did that to her. Wait, 'kill' is too good for them, 'torture- then-kill' should be the word,'he thought to himself.

" Itachi! Come out you bastard! I know you're here"  
he heard his brother say in a low voice.

'Damn!  
Now I have to find an excuse for coming here,' Itachi thought to himself.  
' I can't let Sakura think that I came to save her. Wait! What am I thinking, she doesn't remember me,'he thought again.

"Itachi!"he heard his brother call in a threatening voice.

Itachi sighed inwardly as he landed in front of them, his cold and uncaring aura, was immediately switched on to full mode.( A/N let's just say he acts cold and cruel when anyone's around)

(space)(space)(space)

Sakura felt her heart beat quicken.  
'Itachi...'she thought as he landed in front of them.

" Well, if it isn't my foolish little brother?"Itachi said to Sasuke, his voice held no affection, only an icy edge to it.

His eyes were cold and lifeless just like the last time she saw him in her dreams.  
Sakura could feel the hurt forming inside her.  
' What happened to you Itachi?'she wanted to say but instead she kept silent.

"Itachi! How dare you show up in front of me like this!"growled Sasuke.  
"But no matter, I've been waiting to kill you,"growled Sasuke again, his voice as icy as Itachi's.

"I have no time to play with you, you're not even worth my time. I'm here for the parcel so hand it over,"said Itachi who's cold and uncaring demeanor never left.

Sasuke on the other hand was fuming with rage.  
" I don't have it! Even if I did I wouldn't give it to you!" spat Sasuke at him.

"You don't have it but that doesn't mean someone else doesn't,"Itachi said in his icy voice that sent chills of uneasiness through Sakura.

Sakura couldn't think of anything to say.  
She just stood there like a statue rooted to the ground.

Her once shattered heart(by Sasuke) which had finally been patched together again was now shattering once more.  
Only this time, the pain was tenfold.

She couldn't cry, she couldn't even say a thing.  
' He doesn't know me. It was all my imagination'  
' But it seemed so real. I can't take this anymore, first Sasuke and now him?What am I saying? It never happened.'

Throughout the whole conversation between Sasuke and Itachi, Itachi had not even spared her a glance.  
It was as if she was nothing more than dirt lying on the ground.

She could not take it anymore.  
The pain was worse that the pain in her arm and leg.

It shattered her heart into a million pieces, never to be patched again.  
'That was it. No more. What else have I to live for? Nothing, nothing matters anymore. I have no more reasons to live any longer...'

"Itachi! I WILL kill you!"growled Sasuke as he picked up a kunai and ran straight for Itachi.

Itachi saw that coming from miles away but what he did not see coming was Sakura.  
She ran and placed her self infront of of the both of them.

She remembered doing this many times, and all of them involved Sasuke.  
(A/N Remember the time with Gaara and also the time when Sasuke and Naruto were fighting)

Only now, there was no Naruto or Kakashi here to save her.  
She would have given her life to save Sasuke when he was till in Konoha but he rejected her just the same.  
Sasuke was always in the picture when this situation came about.

Only then, she was trying to protect Sasuke but now she wanted to protect someone else.  
The one person who did not even know her.  
No matter, at least she would die for someone she loved.  
Not like he'll remember her but at least she would die and and her cursed life would be over.

She would leave this world.  
She wouldn't have to bother about anything anymore.

Blood tainted the ground where Sakura stood.  
Her blood seeped through her clothes where the kunai had pierced her, near her heart.

Both Uchiha's were rooted to the ground in shock.  
"Sa...Sakura...why did..you?"Sasuke asked, horrified that he had struck the kunai through her body.

Sakura chuckled.  
Itachi and Sasuke stared at her.  
Her chuckle wasn't one of amusement but rather a one that seemed...lifeless and sad.

"Sakura...?"Sasuke asked, distracted for a moment.

Sakura continued to chuckle 'lifelessly.  
"You want the parcel? Take it! "said Sakura, taking out the package from her left vest and holding it in her hand.

"Sakura?"asked Sasuke"is this another trick?"(A/N you know, the time when she 'gave' the parcel to the guards)

Sakura chuckled again, only louder this time.  
"What makes you think that this is a trick? Go ahead, take it. It's not like I care anymore..."said Sakura,  
sadness in her voice.

"I've had it with you, the both of you! Enough is enough! I can't take it anymore! Go ahead with your 'power hungry 'lives"  
I can't take it anymore, I just want out!"she said tears rolling down her cheeks.  
" Even though, I don't think Itachi knows who I am,"she added.

'What does she mean by'I don't think Itachi knows who I am?'Itachi asked himself.

"Since you left Sasuke, I've had nothing but pain and tears. You don't know the pain you put me through! Then when I see you again, all you want is the damn parcel! and then HE comes along and HE wants the parcel as well! Well, I've had it! You can HAVE the damn parcel!" Sakura said, her tears were dampening the ground beneath her.

Sakura threw the parcel to the ground.

In truth, she had wanted and tried to end her life many times before.  
It happened thirteen days after Sasuke's departure.

(flashback)

(Sakura's proverb)

_The valley below me seems so far away from where I stand_

_The wind caresses my face How I wish that I could be like it_

_Free and calm_

_But I am none of that _

_My heart is heavy_

_My tears are running out_

_I have nothing left _

_Because he isn't here_

_I try to end my life _

_But the winds tell me not to_

_The valley below is not where my life should end _

_And so I leave_

_I know I had no reason to contnue living _

_But still, why did I continue ?_

_I look at the knife in my hand _

_I slowly slash the wrist of my hand _

_My crimson blood taints the ground below me_

_The cut was not enough to kill me_

_I know I had no reason to continue living _

_But still, why did I continue?_

_I watch the running water below_

_So serene and yet so forbiding_

_I attempted to jump_

_But once again , the winds say,_

_The water is not the place where I should die_

_I know I had no reason to continue living _

_But still, why did I continue?_

_Now I know the reason _

_It was because of you _

_I do not know who you are_

_But the winds tell me,_

_IfI should die,_

_Then die inyour love._

(end of flashback)

Her vision began to fade.  
The calming winds carresed her face as if to say, 'You cannot leave him'  
But still, she ignored the wind.  
' I have to, I'm too tired to carry on living,'she whispered to to it as darkness fell around her.  
Itachi's voice was the last thing she heard and the last thing she HAD wanted to hear.

_I have to leave now _

_I have to let go now _

_I won't keep holding _

_My tears and blood will be only things I leave behind_

_Love,  
I will miss you _

_You may not know me _

_You will not miss me_

_It would be better like this_

_Without me _

_The person you never knew _

_The person you will never know_

_Love,  
It's time for me to leave _

_You will not remember me _

_But I will remember you_

_Forever is a big word _

_But my love was larger _

_Longer than forever,  
I will hold you, in my heart_

_Goodbye, love_

A/N I know I like to leave things hanging but I can't help it. Anyway I just felt like writing something sad so I wrote a few poems on Sakura's thoughts. I hoped you all like this chappie. Please leave reviews...(puppy dog eyes)


	12. My light

A/N I hope all of you enjoy this chap. So sorry about the last one, I left a cliffie didn't I? Lol, so sorry...But to answer most of your questions, 'No, Sakura is not going to die although it might seem like it' and besides, if she dies, then there's no story left to write, right? 

kawaii kitsune-kun - Yes, ofcourse she'll live. Anyway, I made it purposely depessing.(Sorry)

epuneyujah - No, it wasn't the end, there's many to come.Enjoy the chap!

Lady Light - Itachi did save her in this chap. Enjoy!

xx-Tsumi-Chan-xx - Thanks! And sorry 'bout the cliff hanger.I've TRIED not to put a cliffhanger here but then again everything seems to be a cliffhanger, doesn't it?Anyway, enjoy!

Dagorwen of Ithilien - Updated!Thanks for reviewing!

kAze-RyU - Sorry about the cliffie! Don't worry Sakura won't die.

sakura-angel113 - No, ofcourse it wasn't the end! I'm just getting started.(i think)Not sure really but I assure you there will be more chaps.

waterfox96 - Thanks, I loved writing the poem as well. Anyway, Itachi won't really tell her he knows her in this chap directly,  
ehm...you'll have to read to get the idea. And don't worry, Sakura'll be fine.

chibi minamoto - Yay! You like my plot! Enjoy the chap!

Hao'sAnjul - No! Please review!Lol, I love reviews! Anyway, thanks for all your reviews, I hope you enjoy this chap!

no-no-hana - Don't cry! Sakura isn't going to die. Anyway, that wasn't the end. Many chaps to go! Enjoy this one!

springninja - Ehm...I'm not really putting in why he killed his clan in this chap yet because it's gonna be a long story.  
The reason is sort of based on something that I cooked up. But it isn't going to be revealed just yet.  
Anyway, every chap, we're getting closer. Enjoy this one!

AnimeSenko - No, she didn't die. Itachi will not let her die.He loves her too much.Anyway, thanks for the review.  
Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This is simply a fanfic.

_Her vision began to fade.  
The calming winds carresed her face as if to say, 'You cannot leave him'  
But still, she ignored the wind.  
' I have to, I'm too tired to carry on living,'she whispered to to it as darkness fell around her.  
Itachi's voice was the last thing she heard and the last thing she HAD wanted to hear._

(space)(space)(space)

"Sakura...,"cried Itachi.  
Itachi had never panicked in his life nor had he ever been afraid but right then, he was experiencing both these things in one go.

Sakura fell to the ground. Her cherry blossom hair fanned around her as she lay unmoving on the forest floor. Salty tears still covered her face, her emerald eyes were closed...her blood spilling around her.

"Sakura...!"said Sasuke as he moved towards her but he was soon cut off by Itachi as he rushed to her side.

Itachi picked her up and laid her on his lap as he inspected her wound.  
'The kunai did not hit her heart but the damage had made her lose a lot of blood,'Itachi thought to himself as he took out a white bandage and wrapped it around her chest to stop the bleeding.

The bandage was not enough and he knew it. He had to get her somewhere safe so that he could treat her wound.

"She lost too much blood. If this goes on, she'll die..."he thought to himself again.  
His cold and uncaring demeanor vanished, he had no place left in his right mind to keep up his charade any longer.

All that mattered now was to get Sakura somewhere safe, so that he would be able to treat her wounds.  
Her last one had already made her loose a lot of blood.( A/N the wounds that Sasuke treated earlier)

Sasuke stood there infront of the both of them, not believing what he was seeing.  
Itachi was tending to Sakura, his eyes were filled with worry and pain.

Was this really his brother?  
The cruel and heartless man who killed his own family?

"Itachi, why are you helping her?"asked Sasuke, not really getting the whole picture.(A/N poor Sasuke...)

"What I do is none of your business, little brother,"Itachi answered in a low voice, annoyed that Sasuke would just stand there asking questions when Sakura was injured and dying in front of him.

'I should have know better than to trust Sasuke with her,'Itachi thought to himself.  
From what he had heard earlier, it seemed that Sasuke had left Sakura and broke her heart.

'Judging by the sound headband he's wearing, it seems that Sasuke left Konoha to join Orochimaru,'Itachi thought again.

'Foolish brother...I left her with you and now you leave her and Konoha to join the ranks of that old snake?'Itachi thought in anger.

Disappointed at his brother, he shifted Sakura's body sligthly , so he wouldn't hurt her, and picked her up slowly.

"Where are you going with Sakura, you bastard?" Sasuke growled in annoyance and anger.  
" I'M not the one who's a bastard,"said Itachi, in annoyance.  
His crimson eyed glared at Sasuke in anger.

"I'M not the one who left her,"Itachi said again as he sped off through the forest, keeping Sakura tightly secured in his arms.

' But then again, I did leave her...'Itachi thought to himself.  
' I guess , I am a bastard,'he thought again as he made his way towards the town.

(space)(space)(space)

(flasback)

He still remembered the night that he left Konoha and...her.

The night when he made the biggest sacrifice of all.  
The sacrifice, of leaving her...

The one that he loved more than life itself.  
The one he would sacrifice his life for.

He remembered her clearly...even through all these years.  
How could he forget?

_I was alone,  
Engulfed in darkness,  
A prisoner of despair, With unbreakable shackles that imprisoned my heart,_

_Until you came..._

_My world was surrounded by darkness,  
Shadows seemed to cover every inch of this forsaken land,  
I was alone,  
Loneliness bound my soul,  
My life, stolen,  
I was nothing more that an empty shell._

_I do not remember when I had started falling into darkness,  
For I do not even recall the light..._

_Until you came..._

_Like a spark of hope in the darkness,  
Like a key that unlocked my shakles,  
You freed me from my prison, Which was myself._

_As memeories flashed through my mind,  
I recall the time when we first met.  
It was the day when I should have ended my life,  
But instead,  
I found you,  
My reason for living..._

_The unforgiving winds bit into my skin,  
As I stood inches away from where I would have ended my existence,_

_The harsh winds turned into a warm breeze,  
I looked at the valley below me,  
Wondering why the sudden change,  
I had never felt fear,  
But as I stood atop that narrow cliff,  
I feared that I would lose something that I had been searching for all this time,  
If I had ended my existence then..._

_The winds changed its course of direction,  
I followed it, Not knowing where it would lead me._

_I walked through the brightly lit streets of town,  
Where everyone I saw were smiling,  
Except...you_

_Your eyes were filled with fear,  
I do not know why I followed you as I did,  
But the winds seemed to be following your footsteps._

_You were in a dark alley,  
Danger was standing in front of you,  
I wanted to help you,  
But you managed to overcome it on your own,  
Although your tiny frame looked so fragile and vulnerable,  
You were none of that,  
But at the same time you were,  
To me..._

_I felt my heart lighten at the prospect of seeing you safe,  
I did not know why,  
But I wanted to protect you,  
To see you safe from harm..._

_Your tears fell to the ground,  
Underneath the sakura tree,  
You were afraid, with nowhere to go,  
I could feel your pain and despair,  
Your pain was mine,  
Although I hardly knew you._

_Like a silent guardian in the night,  
I was there beside you,  
Wiping your tears away._

_Like an angel from heaven,  
You smiled at me,  
It lighted a spark within me,  
A spark that soon turned into a flame,  
A flame so bright that it lit the darkness within me._

_I could never forget that day,  
I will never forget it and all the times I spent with you,  
I can never forget your smile,  
Your smile, that seemed to have been kept only for me,  
You were mine,  
But I had to let you go,  
For without me,  
You would lead a better life,  
A life in the light,  
Away from the darkness,  
That was me..._

_My secret heart,  
I will keep hidden,  
I will fight my battles away from you,  
Away from the one I love,  
My secret heart, Shall stay secret._

(space)(space)(space)

Itachi watched as the sun began to rise.  
The town was now fully awake , with people coming out of their houses to meet a new dawn.

Itachi sped off towards the West side of town where there was an abandoned house at the edge of a lake.  
He had spent the whole afternoon yesterday, hiding out in the house, as to not gain attention from the towns folk.

He entered the house and swiftly closed the door behind him.  
He laid her down gently on the bed upstairs and slowly undressed her.

He cleaned her wounds and wrapped bandages around them .  
After making sure that she was comfortable enough, he activated his jutsu.

Green chakura soon flowed from his hands into her body.

(space)(space)(space)

Darkness was all around her.  
She felt so numb and cold.  
It was as if the cold was actually biting it's way into her skin.

Sakura knew what exactly what the cold was, it was her pain.  
The pain that hurt more that anything in the world,  
a wound from the heart.

But then suddenly she felt as though the cold was thinning.  
Soon the cold dissapeared, and it was replaced by a warm sensation that comforted her.

Sakura reached out to it, hoping that it would warm her heart as well.  
She saw it, a small spark in the darkness.  
So dim at first, but soon it became so easy just to reach out for it.

Sakura opened her eyes.  
She could barely make out where she was, but she definitely knew that she was alive.

Why wasn't she dead?  
She should have ben by now.

Sakura looked around only to find a pair of crimson eyes staring at her.  
She let out a small 'eep' , realising who those eyes belonged to.

"Itachi!"she said in suprise.  
"W...what...?"she stammered before she was cut in by Itachi.

"You've been asleep for two days. Your wounds are healing but I would advise you to stay off your feet for another week,"he stated still holding her in his gaze.

"Oh,"Sakura said not knowing really what to say.  
Sakura looked around her.

She was in somesort of a house.  
It looked abandoned but well enough live in.

"Shouldn't I be dead?"she thought but quickly realised that she had spoken it out aloud.  
She gave a small squek and covered her mouth.

'Ahh! Why did I say that out aloud? This is so embarassing, and why is he here?What happened?'she thought to herself.

As though reading her thoughts, "I brought you here so that I could heal your wounds,"he said, not once did his gaze leave her.

'Why is he staring at me like that?'Sakura asked herself.  
'Like what? Like he wants you?"her inner mind said back to her with a grin.  
'No!Ofcourse not. He doesn't even know me,'she argued back.  
'Admit it. You want him too,'her inner mind taunted'  
'But he doesn't even know me!' she argued back again.  
'Aha! So you do admit!'her inner mind grinned again.  
'Well, technically, who wouldn't?He's HOT!'Sakura thought again.  
'And I love him, even though it was all a damn dream! I know call me stupid! But I can't help it!'she thought again to herself.

Tears started flowing from her eyes.  
'He doesn't even know me and I'm in love with him...'she thought, but her thoughts were soon interrupted.

(space)(space)(space)

Itachi watched amusingly as he saw her arguing with herself like she always did in the past.  
'Sakura...I missed you'

But his amusement soon died out when he saw tears rolling down her cheeks.  
'Why is she crying?'

Itachi hated it when she cried.  
He couldn't take it.  
He couldn't bear to see her cry.

He gently reached out to caress her cherry blossom hair.  
It felt so soft and wonderful in his hands.

He slowly moved closer to her.  
They were so close...

He wiped the tears from her eyes as he stared into the emerald depths that captivated him.  
Slowly, he cuped her chin and gently moved closer , until their lips met.

They stayed in that kiss for what seemed like an eternity before they broke contact.

"Sakura..."whispered Itachi into her ear.

A/N I hope you all liked this chappie! I won't be updating for some time since I'll be going to Australia for about a week or so. Please leave your reviews. I love all your reviews!Thanks so much! Until next time,  
Ja ne.


	13. Truth and lies

A/N Hello people, I'm back! So sorry for the late update, I was really kinda distracted these few weeks. Anyway, lets get on with the chappie..

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This is simply a fanfic.

kawaii kitsune-kun - Hmm...well, yeah I'm actually considering to put Sasuke with Hinata.

Lady Snow Blood - Read the chap to find out...Anyway thanks for the review.

Lady Light - Really?Well I hope they enjoy themselves. Enjoy this chap!

waterfox96 - So sorry for the slow update...I hope you enjoy this chappie!

AnimeSenko - Updated...Enjoy!

springninja - Thanks...Please enjoy this chappie...

Dagorwen of Ithilien - Updated...Enjoy!

sakura-angel113 - Thanks...Have a pleasant time reading...

Hao'sAnjul - Sorry I didn't update this sooner. Anyway I hope you enjoy reading.

cruisegirl86 - Thanks..Updated, please continue reading...

sweetmaiden - Thanks you for reading. Enjoy this chap...

kAze-RyU - Thanks for praising my story...(starts crying) I'm so touched.  
Enjoy this chap...

miki - Thanks..

xx-Tsumi-Chan-xx - Updated! Enjoy!

candy44 - It's alright...Enjoy the chap!

sara-chan - Thanks...Enjoy!

(space)(space)(space)

(flashback)

Sasuke stood rooted to the ground as he watched Itachi leave, carrying Sakura in his arms.  
' What the hell is going on here?How does he even know Sakura?'Sasuke thought to himself.

'Sakura'  
'I didn't know I caused you so much pain, I'm sorry'  
'Not that you'll ever forgive me...'

He was a bastard to her and he knew it.  
But he had to be, he had to push her away.

He was an avenger.  
Itachi was his main target but what happened just then left the Uchiha heir confused.

'Why would Itachi care for Sakura'  
He had never seen his brother show anyone that much emotion.  
This alone puzzled him.

Sasuke decided not to ponder on it any longer, if he wanted the answer, he would have to find out himself.

He had to find Itachi and Sakura.  
'I hope Sakura is fine...Please let her be fine...'Sasuke thought to himself again.

'Wait, I seem to be forgetting something...The parcel'  
Sasuke turned around to find that the parcel was nowhere in sight.

"Curse that bastard! He took the parcel with him!"cursed Sasuke out loud.  
' I guess now I really have to find him...the parcel seems important'  
'I wonder why Orochimaru and the Akatsuki want it ?'Sasuke thought to himself as he raced through the canopy of trees, in pursuit of Itachi.

(end of flasback)

(A/N Yo! People, now we get back to our main couple currently making out. Let's see, where did I stop,  
oh yeah, I remember now...)

(space) (space) (space)

He wiped the tears from her eyes as he stared into the emerald depths that captivated him.  
Slowly, he cuped her chin and gently moved closer , until their lips met.

They stayed in that kiss for what seemed like an eternity before they broke contact.

"Sakura..."whispered Itachi into her ear.

(space) (space) (space)

Sakura gasped softly.  
"Itachi, how do you know my name?"Sakura asked as she gave him a puzzled look.

'How could I forget...'Itachi thought silently.  
"I heard my idiotic little brother calling you ,Sakura,"lied Itachi.

"Oh," Sakura answered.  
' I guess it really was all just a dream...'Sakura thought to herself.

'Damn it, I kissed her! I shouldn't have done that..'thought Itachi angrily to himself.  
But he could not admit that he did not want to do it.

The kiss was sweet and she tasted like honey.  
'I guess this is how it feels to be addicted,'he thought again.

He had already taken a taste from the forbidden fruit.  
It will be hard to forget it.  
'Not like I'll ever forget,' he silently thought.

"You should put some clothes on,"Itachi stated to Sakura, his tone held no affection what so ever and his cold demeanor returned.

"Huh?Eeeep!"squeeked Sakura as she looked down towards her naked body.  
( well except for the bandages and the blanket that covered her lower half)

Sakura could have sworn that she turned three shades of red before she finally got dressed.  
'I was naked all this time and he didn't say a word?'she thought to herself.(A/N o0...wooo)

'That because he likes to see you nak...'her inner mind retorted before being cut in.  
'Don't you dare even go there!' snapped Sakura back to her inner mind.

'Fine, fine, but a little reminder, he did look at you hungrily just a moment ago,'her inner mind said again.

'Argh!Stop!'Sakura screamed back.  
But her inner mind only grinned inwardly.

"You should lie down, your wounds aren't healed yet,"said Itachi, his voice betraying no hint of worry.(A/N I think we all know that he actually is...(wink)(wink))

"Oh...er...okay.." she said not really knowing what else to say as she made tucked herself in the bed.  
'He sounds so cold, unlike the time when we kisse...Whoa!  
Sakura don't even go there!' she thought to herself.

"Ehm...ano sumimasen( excuse me), but why did you heal my wounds?"she asked him timidly.

'Because I'd kill myself if I let you die!'he thought silently.  
"You seem like something precious to my idiotic brother. You could come in handy,"lied Itachi, grinning.(A/N he just put on that fake grin to seem threatening)

Sakura nearly cried again but instead no tears came out.  
'I can't cry anymore, I've already cried too much'

"So, you're just using me,"said Sakura as she inverted her gaze to him.  
"Something like that,"said Itachi in a low voice.

Emerald eyes met onyx ones.  
"What are you going to use me for?"she asked silently, her eyes held all her pain and despair within.

Itachi stared into her eyes, full of pain.  
'Sakura...looks like I hurt you again,'he thought sadly to himself.

"Tell me about Sasuke,"he said to her, their eye contact never breaking.

"Why should I tell you?" she asked him.  
"Because I said so,"he said to Sakura again.

"And why should I listen to you?I couldn't care less if you torture me or kill me,"she spat back at him.

"Do you love him so much that you would die for him?"Itachi asked again.

"I would have said yes a few months ago. But as you have seen, I couldn't care less if I had died. If I have to die, then at least I would die without betraying a friend,"she said again.

'Sakura...as loyal as always..' Itachi thought inwardly.

"Very well then, how about we do a little exchange?"Itachi asked, he stood up from where he was sitting and moved closer to Sakura.

"What exchange?"asked Sakura.

" I'll ask you three questions, and in return I'll answer three of your questions,"he said to her as he sat next to her on the bed where she was sitting up.

"Agreed?"Itachi asked.

Sakura pondered on it for a while before she finally gave in.  
"Agreed, but how do I know you won't kill me after the exchange"  
Sakura asked him.

"You have my word,"he simply stated.  
'I'm sorry Sasuke, I have something to ask him,'Sakura silently apologized.

"Alright, you can ask first,"said Sakura, their eye contact never breaking.

"Hmm...alright, why did Sasuke leave Konoha?  
What happened in Konoha before Sasuke left?  
Why is he after the parcel?"

Sakura then explained what had happened during the past months.  
"As for why he wants the parcel, it's probably because Orochimaru wants it"  
Sakura said.

"See that wasn't so bad was it?" he asked her with a grin.  
"It's your turn, what have you to ask me?"he asked her again.

They both stared into each other's eyes.  
Sakura wanted to ask about so many things in her dream but since it was all a dream, she couldn't.

"Why are you after the parcel?"she asked him.  
"For the Akatsuki,"he simply stated.

Sakura had heard about the Akatsuki from Naruto when he told her about Sasuke and Itachi.  
(A/N The episode when Itachi and Kisame tried to kidnap Naruto)

"Oh,"she said, not really geting why everyone was after the parcel but it really was not any of her business anyway.

"Okay, then where is it now?I remember leaving it in the forest,"she asked him again.  
"i took it, and it's now in my pocket,"he simply said again.  
'...He's so straightforward,'she thought to herself.

The next question was one that would eventually let her decide on what to do next.

In truth Itachi was enjoying himself.  
'She looks so calm, it's like we're having a normal conversation...like before..'

"Itachi, why did you kiss me?"she asked him, her eyes holding their gaze.

At that moment, Itachi did not know what to say.  
He was lost...How could he tell her the truth?  
' Because I love you, I always have,'

"Because you were crying and it was the only thing I could think of to make you stop ,"he lied again(A/N bad Itachi...bad boy...)

(A/N Well it was almost the truth, he did the only thing he could think of to make her stop crying. But the reason why he did not want her to cry...(wink))

Sakura was lost for words, she could not speak.  
'Well at least I know now that he doesn't even have the tiniest bit of attraction towards me...' she thought to herself.

Sakura inverted her gaze towards the window.  
"It's a nice day out side, I'm going out for some fresh air,"she said to Itachi as she got out of bed and left the room.

'Sakura...I'm sorry,' Itachi silently whispered.

(space) (space) (space)

The air outside was cool.  
The wind gently played with her pink locks.

The scenery to begin with was serene, with the house behind her near the shore of the lake.

The lake water looked like glass as it reflected the outline of her image.  
"What do I do now?"she asked herself.

"Where do I go from here?"she asked herself again.  
Sakura felt so alone and afraid in this unknown world.  
'With no one to turn to, where should I go?'she asked herself.

(space) (space) (space)

Itachi watched silently as Sakura walked alongside the shore of the lake.  
'She looks like an angel,'he thought to himself, smiling behind the tree that hid him from her view.

Then, there was a sudden change in the atmosphere.

(space) (space) (space)

Sakura turned around to find herself face to face with the man that had shunned her away for as long as she could remember.

"Sasuke?"she asked the man infront of her.

(space)(space)(space)

Sasuke landed silently infront of Sakura.  
"Sakura, get behind me," he said as he stood in front of Sakura, blocking her from Itachi's view.

"Sasuke...?What are you...?"said Sakura, a little confused.

"Itachi,show yourself!"Sasuke said again.

"Well, well, if it isn't my little brother playing hero,"said Itachi sarcastically.

"Here to save your precious little princess?"Itachi asked again as he stepped out from under the shadow of a tree.

"Sasuke...why?"Sakura asked confused.  
' Did he follow me here?'Sakura thought to herself.

"I overheard your little conversation. Hand over the parcel Itachi,"Sasuke growled back at him.

(A/N Itachi knew that Sasuke was there all the time. He had purposely allowed Sasuke to overhear the conversation.)

"Or what?"Itachi as in a sarcastic tone.

"Tell me Sasuke, if I gave you a choice...Would you rather have the package or your little princess?"Itachi asked again, his voice betraying no emotion.

(space)(space)(space)

'Damn, what now?'asked Sasuke to himself as he began to sense a few ninjas heading their way.

A few shurikens were thrown towards them.  
But they invaded the attack easily.

Sakura landed on a tree branch as she invaded the attack.  
"Ahh..!"she cried out silently, as the pain in chest began to spread.

Both Sasuke and Itachi turned to look at her.

'Shit, her wounds aren't fully healed yet...'Itachi thought inwardly.

(space)(space)(space)

There were five attackers all together.  
'Mist-nins...What are they doing here?'Sasuke mentally asked himself.

"Hand over the pink haired girl and we won't cause any trouble"  
said a tall Mist-nin who semed to be the leader of the group.

"Why?What do you want with her?"Sasuke growled back at the leader.

"We were ordered to kill her. So, hand her over quietly and we won't cause any trouble for you,"the man said again.

Itachi could not hold it in any longer, the fury was building inside of him.  
' How dare you!No one lays a finger on MY Sakura!'

"Do you idiots even know who you're dealing with here?"Itachi asked in a low growl.

"Take a step closer and you won't live to see the next dawn,"Itachi said again,  
hiding his hidden fury.

"What makes you think that you're stronger than us?"the leader retorted back in annoyance.

At that, Sakura sighed mentally.  
' Those guys ARE idiots..Hmm...let's see, we've got Sasuke who has a cursed seal from Orochimaru and we've got an S-rank missing-nin who just happens to be said stronger than Orochimaru...And not to mention, these both are Uchiha's and they are the geniuses of their time'  
she thought to herself.

"A little advice, I wouldn't mess with these two if I were you,"she said to the leader.  
The pain in her chest was lessening but she knew that she was still weak.

"Why you little bitc..."the leaders sentenced was left unfinished when a kunai hit him in the arm.

"Say that again, and next time I won't be so merciful,"Sasuke threatened.

'What was that?I didn't even sense the kunai...'the leader thought to himself.

Blood seeped throught his sleeve where the kunai had hit him.  
"Fine if that's the way you want to play it, then we'll attack as well"  
said the leader as the Mist-nins attacked.

(space)(space)(space)

In less than ten minutes, the nins were all either dead or seroiusly injured.  
"What...do you want with me..?"stammered the leader as Itachi rougly picked him up and held him by his collar.

"Who sent you?"asked Itachi, his voice held an unfamiliar tone to it.

"Orochimaru..."said the nin.  
"Why?"demanded Sasuke as he grabbed the nin away from Itachi's grasp.

"Be..because he said that one of his men might not have the heart to kill her so we were the backup force if he left her alive,"the nin said as he fainted.

"Orochimaru..!"Sasuke growled as he threw the nin fiercely to the ground.(A/N poor guy, he was just doing his mission)

"Why are you mad Sasuke?Didn't you leave Konoha for power?"Itachi asked Sasuke as he stepped closer.

"I...I..but...I,"stammered Sasuke as he fell to the ground.

"I wanted to kill you!You bastard, you killed the whole clan..."said Sasuke in anger.

"I think it's time I told you the whole story,"said Itachi silently but loud enough for Sasuke and Sakura to hear.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked Itachi in distrust.

"Have you suddenly gone deaf little brother? But first we need to get Sakura inside the house,"Itachi said as he walked closer to where Sakura was sitting and picked her up.

"Huh? What? I'm fine put me down,"Sakura pouted as she struggled.

"Stop struggling Sakura ,"Itachi said in a commanding tone.

Sakura stopped struggling but instead asked"Itachi, you have Sasuke and the parcel now, why are you still caring for me?"

"Because I promised to protect you remember?"he whispered silently in her ear.

(flasback)

The winds teased her pinks locks as she lay on top of the grassy hill surrounded by tiny fireflies.

The night was calm and the wind was cool.  
Sakura opened her emerald eyes as she stared lovingly at the figure in front of her.

"You're late,"she pouted at the figure.  
"Sorry about that, I'll let you punish me later,"he said, amusement dancing in his eyes.

Sakura stuck out her tongue at him.  
"Fine, I'll forgive you but you'll have to carry me back later,"she said to him again.

The figure let out an amused chuckle as he lay down next to her.

They both stared up into the clear twilight sky, admiring the stars that adorned it's mysterious beauty.

"Itachi,"called Sakura.

"Hmm...?"he answered as he turned his face to look at her.

"I saw you in town carrying Sasuke on your back. Was he hurt?"Sakura asked as she too turned to face Itachi.

"He twisted his ankle,"he simply stated.  
"I envy him.."Sakura said silently.

"For twisting his ankle?"Itachi asked, confused.

"No, for having a big brother that will always protect him,"she said again.

"Baka(stupid), who says I won't protect you as well?"he asked teasingly.

Sakura's cheeks slightly coloured.  
"Will you always protect me?"she asked him timidly.

"I promise...Always...I'll protect you,"Itachi said to her as he gazed into her eyes.

(end of flashback)

A/N Hi, people, did you like the chapter? Please review...I love all your reviews...Well, until next time.  
Ja ne . 


	14. revealed

A/N Hey,everyone, I'm back….Sorry for the long update….Here! Enjoy!

**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This is simply a fan fic.**

**kawaii kitsune-kun** – ahaha! Sorry 'bout the late update, anyway thanks for your support

**Lady Light** – yup…..

**AnimeSenko – **Ok….here…enjoy! Sorry bout the late update.

**Sakura-angel113 – **Thanks!

**Hao'sAnjul** – Thanks….

**Waterfox96** – sorry, not much sakuita but later chaps…..

**iuvanime493** – thank u..

**xx-Tsumi-Chan-xx** - thanks..

**Maya Amano** – I think so too! Enjoy!

**sara-chan** – not in this chap but later…

**joann **– updated!

**Yokaigurl **– thanks..they will…someday….

**Cruisegirl96** – hmm……they will soon.

**kittiekag** – u are? Thanks…

**Jenny** – Updated!

**Narumeblue** – Lol, hypnotized…….

The dim morning rays crept through the dark room, illuminating a pink haired figure staring out towards the rising sun. Knocking slightly on the door to alert her of his presence, Itachi silently entered the room. Finding her staring blindly at the window pane, lost in her own thoughts, he gently placed a cup of water in her hands. "Here."

"Huh? Oh…thank you,"she said finally noticing his presence. " I should leave you to get some rest," he said swiftly as he made for the door. "Itachi….." Sakura called out softly.The cup in her hands fell to the ground and shattered on the wooden floor.

Stopping dead in his tracks, he turned around to find Sakura holding her hands to her chest. Rushing to her side, he gently held her against him. Her face was ghastly pale and her eyes were closed tightly in pain. Holding her close, he whispered softly in her ear" It's alright Sakura. Everything's fine, I'm right here….." as he activated the healing justu.

(space)(space)(space)

Hearing the sudden shatter, Sasuke ran into the cabin. Opening the bedroom door, he found Itachi holding Sakura in his arms as he green chakura flowed freely from his hands. " What's wrong?" he asked softly. "What happened ?" he asked again , concern written in his expression. " She dropped the cup after having a sudden seizure," Itachi answered indicating to the shattered bits and pieces lying on the floor.

Gently, Itachi lowered the now sleeping Sakura on the bed. "We should let her get some rest. She still hasn't recovered fully yet," he said to Sasuke as they both made their way out the door.

Reluctantly, Sasuke closed the door behind him after having a last peek at Sakura's sleeping form. Many events had passed during the past few days, it plagued and confused him. Everything that he once saw one way, he now saw another.

It seemed that they all needed to get used to how things were now. The truth that was hidden from them,was now finally revealed. This new information had taken quite an effect on all of them and in time they would finally make their decision on what path they would take next.

(flashback)

Walking into the cabin with Sakura in his arms, he gently laid her on the mattress. " Does it still hurt?" he asked her softly. "No," she simply stated, trying to hide her blush. Being so close to Itachi was making her nervous.

The blush did not go unnoticed by Itachi. "You should get some rest," he said with a smirk. "Itachi….what were you going to tell us?" she asked softly. " That can wait, but right now I have some business to take care of,"he answered her. "You won't just leave would you?" he heard her say as he smirked again. Sakura can really sound like a child when she says that. "No, I won't. I won't run anymore,"he said to her again as he slipped out the door, leaving a confused Sakura behind.

Walking towards the cabin door, a kunai flew past him, hitting a nearby wall. "Where are you going bastard?" questioned an annoyed Sasuke. 'What is he planning? If he hurts Sakura, I'll……..'Sasuke's trail of thoughts were cut off when Itachi cut him off." I won't harm her," Itachi said as though reading Sasuke's thoughts.

" You don't have to glare at me as though I just broke your favourite toy," Itachi added seeing the pure look of hatred emitting from Sasuke. With that, Itachi exited the cabin, walking out into the dazzling afternoon sun.

Behind him trailed Sasuke, " Answer me,what are you planning to do!" " Stay here and look after Sakura. I'll be back by nightfall," said Itachi ignoring Sasuke's question.

"What?"demanded an annoyed Sasuke. Ofcourse he'd look after Sakura ,but that coming from his brother was annoying him.

"Oh…and Sasuke..Keep your hands to yourself, no touching her," Itachi said again as he sped off.

"WHAT!"yelled a pissed off Sasuke.

(space)(space)(space)

Speeding off towards town, Itachi chuckled slightly recalling the annoyed expression on Sasuke's face when he was asked to keep his hands off Sakura. 'Just like old times….' thought Itachi as he made his way secretly towards the palace.

Guards were stationed everywhere around the palace walls, but in a matter of second, Itachi had slipped past the guards. Making his way swiftly trough the palace walls, he found what he was looking for.

(space)(space)(space)

" Any news from the rescue team about Sakura?"asked a timid voice. " No, they haven't found her yet,"replied a blonde figure standing against the window, looking down towards town, where people were about doing their daily routines.

" Not even a trace of where she might have gone?"asked Hinata again, playing nervously with the hem of her jacket. "No, it's like she just disappeared,"Ino answered, looking sadly out the window. " I hope she's safe," Ino said again with a sigh.

" Don't worry, she's perfectly safe," said Itachi as he stepped out of the shadows.

(space)(space)(space)

"Who are you?"demanded Ino as she and Hinata both raised their kunai's, ready to strike.

"My identity is none of your concern," replied Itachi coldly.

"What do you want?" Ino demanded again. 'He's no ordinary ninja. We couldn't even sense him,' thought Ino, analyzing the situation.

" I have a message for your Hokage," replied Itachi as he took out a small scroll and tossed it to Hinata. " What about Sakura? You said that she was fine earlier," Hinata asked as she caught the scroll.

Ignoring the question, Itachi turned and started walking out the door. "Wait, where's Sakura?" demanded Ino. " If she's harmed, I'll….."

Ignoring the threat, Itachi replied " Do not tell anyone that I was here. Go straight back to Konoha and hand the scroll to your Hokage. She will know what to do."

Dissapearing once more into the shadows, he left the palace.

(space)(space)(space)

" Ino, what should we do?" asked Hinata worriedly. " I think we had better head back to Konoha. It's the least we could do now for Sakura,"replied Ino.

" But how do we know that this isn't a trap? Sakura could be in danger," asked Hinata timidly again. " I don't know. Call it woman's intuition but I have a strange feeling that whoever that was, wouldn't hurt Sakura,' replied Ino, deep in thought.

" I hope your intuition's right," Hinata said as they both started packing. " I hope so too," replied Ino. 'I hope so too'

(space)(space)(space)

'Damn, where the heck is that bastard!' Sasuke asked himself as he paced up and down in the cabin.

Hearing a slight creak behind him, Sasuke turned around to find Sakura desperately trying to make her way towards the kitchen. Rushing to her side, he slid an arm around her waist to support her.

" You shouldn't be up and about just yet," he said gently to her as he supported her towards the kitchen. " Sorry, but I wanted to get something to eat,"she said rather shyly.

' This isn't fair….why is my heart beating so rapidly?' she asked herself.

' I mean who wouldn't? You're alone in a cabin with your long time crush, who currently has his arm around your waist,' answered her inner mind with a smirk.

' Oh, and did I mention that he's other hand is brushing slightly against your lower hips?' her inner mind asked mischieviously again.

' Shut up! I don't want to hear anymore!'Sakura retorted back to her inner mind.

' That's right….You want to 'feel' more, don't you?' her inner mind snickered back to her again.

" Sakura, is something the matter?" Sasuke asked her when he noticed her spacing out a minute ago. " Erm…no…" Sakura replied as her cheeks began to colour.

"Here, I made some onigiri( Japanese rice balls) when you were sleeping," Sasuke said as he handed her an onigiri.

"Thanks,"she replied. " Wow, these are good. I didn't know that you could cook? "she asked him. " I was hungry," he simply stated. " Oh…okay," she said again as realizing that Sasuke still had an arm around her waist.

Blushing slightly she said " Ehm…Sasuke….you can let go now." " But what if I don't want to?" Sasuke asked mischieviously. "Huh?" asked Sakura blushing furiously. " You still have some rice on the side of your mouth," Sasuke said as he lowered his lips closer to her mouth and licked the small piece of rice off.

Turning into the colour of a beetroot would be an understatement for the condition Sakura was in right at that moment.

" Having fun are we not, little brother? Itachi asked dangerously. " Itachi!" Sakura gasped. " What do you want now bastard?" asked Sasuke grinning slightly. " I want you to get your hands off her," Itachi replied even more dangerously.

" Or what? It doesn't say anywhere that she belongs to you?" Sasuke asked again in an equally dangerous tone.

Realizing that now was a good time to get out of Sauke's reach, Sakura pushed herself against the wall and held on to the nearest table.

" Ehm…Sasuke was just helping me to get some food…" Sakura tried explaining. " ..off your mouth? " continued Itachi in a dangerously low tone.

" No…he was just.." answered Sakura. " You don't have to explain anything to him Sakura," Sasuke said, staring daggers at Itachi who was glaring dangerously at him.

They were both still in a glaring contest when a slight bump broke the silence.

They both turned to find Sakura lying on the floor. "Sakura!" said Sasuke as he rushed to pick her but he immediately stopped in his tracks when Itachi had reached her first.

" Sorry…slipped…." Sakura said in a muffled voice.

(space)(space)(space)

Carrying Sakura gently in his arms, with a glaring Sasuke behind him, he laid her down onto a chair. " I think now's the time to explain myself," Itachi said softly.

" Sasuke, do you remember what happened the night I left Konoha?" Itachi asked his sibling, standing behind him.

" You mean the day you murdered the whole clan? Oh,I totally forgot!" Sasuke replied sarcastically. With a sigh, Itachi continued his explanation.

" I didn't kill the clan," Itachi replied. " Yeah,and pigs have wings,"Sasuke retorted back.

" Sasuke, I'm not the murderer. I simply told you that I was the murderer so that you would come to me seeking for revenge. The real killer is a lot tougher to handle than me," Itachi said again.

" What are you talking about bastard!" asked Sasuke furiously. " The night the clan was murdered, I had a mission remember? I came back to find everyone slaughtered and I caught a glimpse of him. I ran after him hoping to get my revenge but at that time, I wasn't strong enough and I couldn't defeat him," replied Itachi rergretfully.

" What…but why kill the clan?" Sasuke asked again. " Because of this," answered Itachi, holding out the small parcel that they had been after. " What is in it?" asked Sakura who up till now had been silent. " A forbidden scroll. There was a legend of old, about the five forbidden scrolls. Each one carried it's own power and they were produced by the first five leaders of the great shinobi clans," said Itachi.

" You mean, hidden leaf, hidden sand, hidden mist, hidden rain, and hidden grass right?" asked Sakura again. " Yes, the first leaders of the villages created these scrolls that consisted of all the forbidden jutsu's in their village in order to seal them up and never to be used again," said Itachi as he too sat on a chair next to Sakura.

" So why are the scrolls here now?" asked Sakura again." The scrolls were kept in secret and given to different families in their said villages to be protected. The night the Uchiha clan was killed, the scroll that our clan had been guarding in secret, was taken by the murderer. I have been following his movements for some time now, discovering that he had collected three of the scrolls," Itachi continued.

" So, why did you tell me that you were the one who had killed the clan?" Sasuke asked in a quiet tone. " To protect you," Itachi answered. " You are still my brother,"Itachi said again in a soft tone.

" How can I trust you?" Sasuke asked in a muffled voice. " You don't have to, you can believe what ever you want,"Itachi said again.

" I need some time to digest this," Sasuke replied, leaving the room.

A/N So, how was it? I'm sooo( x infinity) sorry I haven't been updating…..Sorry, I just had my mid term exams and my house it undergoing a huge renovation so I can hardly get through anything in this mess. I'm not to sure when my next update will be but I'll try my best. Please review and I thank all of you for all your support….. Please say, you haven't forgotten about me Until next time, ja ne..


	15. tears in the night

A/N Sorry for the late update again……I know….excuses….sorry….

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The sound of Sasuke's light footsteps slowly began to fade, leaving Sakura and Itachi alone in the dimly lit room. They knew that he would need this time alone to sort his thoughts.

The silence in the room was deafening as neither knew what to say to the other. Although the room was rather dark, the dim light creeping through the doorway gave them enough light to observe the other.

Sakura's small frame seemed like a glass figurine, the ones that many mother's would place on a top shelf for display to show the world that they owned it.

At that moment, Itachi felt the same. He wanted to put this serene and fragile creature up for display, showing her beauty off to the world.

Her emerald eyes were a striking contrast to her cherry blossom colored hair. In the moonlight, her pale white skin seemed to be illuminating the moon. Making her seem like angel, pure and strangely alluring.

Growing uneasy to the deafening silence, Sakura silently moved towards the window, avoiding eye contact with Itachi. The crescent moon that hung in the night sky illuminated the clear lake making the atmosphere seem dream-like under her gaze.

' I wonder if this is a dream….' Sakura thought to silently to herself. " It's beautiful…"Sakura said out loud,deciding to break the silence. "Is it?" asked Itachi who had somehow crept up behind her. Turning around, Sakura found herself staring into two crimson orbs. " The moon is beautiful tonight but its beauty pales beside yours, " whispered Itachi seductively into her ear, as he corenered her small frame.

"Itach…"started Sakura only to be cut off when Itachi seductively nipped her earlobe. " I missed you,"Itachi whispered hotly into her ear before crushing his lips on Sakura's. Taken by surprise, Sakura whimpered in his hold.

" Itachi…..what?..."asked Sakura when their lips finally parted.

" Sakura…..do you remember me?" Itachi asked her. His eyes almost seemed to be pleading and his expression adorned with sadness.

" You mean…..it wasn't just a dream?"asked Sakura as her knees began giving way. " You were real?" asked Sakura again as Itachi scooped her into his arms. "You remember……." he said to her, relieved that she still knew who he was.

" Itachi, what happened? Why couldn't I remember you ,since you left?" Sakura asked him as he rested her head against his chest. " Why did you leave me?" she asked once more.

" I had too. You knew I couldn't stay. I had to protect my brother… and you Sakura……." he whispered silently into her ear. " Me?...why?" she asked again.

" Tell me Sakura, if I had told you about the murderer, would you have wanted to come with me?" he asked her as he held her tightly in his arms.

" Of course. I wouldn't have let you go on your own……." answered Sakura.

" That's why I had to keep it a secret from you," Itachi said to her as he played teasingly with her hair. " Then why couldn't I remember you!" asked Sakura.

" I gave you a drug and hypnotized you so that you would forget all about me," he answered guiltily. " Did you think that I was that useless, Itachi! Was I only a burden for you! questioned Sakura angrily. " Sakura….I…" Itachi's sentence was cut off when Sakura struggled out of his embrace.

Leaning against the wall for support, Sakura tried desperately to stand on her own two feet. Tears were already swelling up in her eyes.

" Sakura you're only exhausting yourself," Itachi said to her worriedly. Approaching her, he held her arm to support her but Sakura quickly swatted his hand away." Sakura………"Itachi said, surprised and hurt by her action.

" I can stand on my own Itachi….I have been doing that for the past five years ever since you left," she said as her tears flowed freely down her face.

" I know that I'm weak. I know that I would only be a burden if I had followed you but at least Itachi, you could have left me with your memories. I wouldn't have fallen for Sasuke if you had. It wouldn't have hurt this much……Your memories could have kept me strong," Sakura said sobbing silently. "I've been loving you without even knowing who you were….." she said, her head bent towards the ground.

Unable to bear it any longer, Itachi gathered her in his arms. " I'm sorry…." He whispered into her ear as she clinged to him. " I know…." she whispered.

(space)(space)(space)

Feeling the cool breeze against his cheeks, Sasuke stopped in his tracks, taking in the serene sight before him. The lake was truly magnificent at this time of the night.

In truth, although he had seemed rather calm when he had said that he needed time to think, his mind was actually in turmoil. He did not know what to do nor did he know what to think.

For years his sole purpose of existence was to be an avenger. I mean, what was a guy to do if suddenly he finds out that the murderer was not the one he was hunting for all along?

Lying down on the cool damp grass, Sasuke averted his eyes towards the sky. The stars that hung in the sky seemed less lonely compared to times that he had looked up at them before.

' Things change I suppose. I guess it's time for me to change as well,' thought Sasuke as he headed back towards the cabin.

" It'll take time. Like most things take time as well. But I would have to move on, whether I like it or not," Sasuke thought to himself again.

Treading along the forest path, he caught sight of the cabin ahead. Under the moonlight, it seemed almost like something out of a fairy tale. 'I wonder if Sakura is asleep,' he thought to himself, as his mood began to lighten. Although he would not admit it, he had always loved her. He had tried ignoring that feeling for some time but each time, it only got stronger.

Entering the cabin, Sasuke made his way towards the room. Pushing open the door, he found Itachi holding Sakura in his arms.

" Itachi, get your hands off her!" Sasuke growled in a dangerously low voice.

Itachi grinned. " But Sasuke, I don't think she wants to get out of my arms," he replied as his hold tightened around Sakura's waist.

A/N Hehehe, sorry to leave you with that last sentence. So, from now on, the fight for Sakura starts! I don't really know why but I love reading and writing these type of scenarios….don't you?


	16. Perverts!

A/N I am terribly sorry for the late chapter. I hope you enjoy it though. It's kind of short, hope you don't mind.

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(space)(space(space)

Under the dazzling afternoon sun, Sakura slowly made her way towards the crystal clear lake. Her injuries were beginning to heal and all she needed now was some rest and relaxation.

As she gently dipped her finger into the pleasantly cool surface, small fishes began curiously swimming around her hand. Smiling, she sat down gently on the surface of a rock, overlooking the lake.

" I wish everyday would be as peaceful as this," she said to herself with a soft sigh. Flushing, Sakura recalled the events that happened these past few days.

(space)(space)(space)

Entering the cabin, Sasuke made his way towards the room. Pushing open the door, he found Itachi holding Sakura in his arms.

" Itachi, get your hands off her!" Sasuke growled in a dangerously low voice.

Itachi grinned. " But Sasuke, I don't think she wants to get out of my arms," he replied as his hold tightened around Sakura's waist.

Blushing, Sakura rushed out of Itachi's arms, embarrassed that Sasuke had caught them in a situation such as that. " I think I'll just go back to the….errr…..room.." Sakura said hurriedly as she slipped out the door. ' Phew….that was close….' Sakura thought as she closed the room door behind her.

' She sure is good at running away,' Itachi thought with amusement.

" What were you doing with Sakura !" Sasuke asked dangerously.

" What do you think I was doing Sasuke? Or perhaps you would like me to describe it to you?" Itachi asked with an evil grin. " Then again, why would I want to tell you what we 'did'?" he asked again with amusement, emphasizing on the 'did'.

" Damn you Itachi! Don't you dare touch Sakura!" cursed Sasuke.

" What's the matter little brother? Worried that your ever faithful pet that has been chasing after you for years would suddenly abandon you ?" asked Itachi again.

" She…" Sasuke started.

" Don't deny it Sasuke, did you think that she would always be here for you? After all the times you had been playing with her feelings?" asked Itachi in a serious tone.

" I'll be taking the first watch, get some rest. I'll call you when it's your turn," Itachi said as he left the room.

Itachi had been right on the dot. Sasuke had been playing with her feelings although he had never wanted to admit it to himself. The truth really stung when it came directly from his brother.

Apologies were no longer of any use. He had hurt her and she had every right to hate him. But maybe, just maybe, someday she'll forgive him.

' I guess that I'll have to start over. From the beginning. This time, I'll do it right,' he thought to himself.

Glancing at the door, he heard Itachi's footsteps approaching. " Oh, and by the way Sasuke. I'm not letting anyone have Sakura," said Itachi through the door. Although faint, Sasuke could definitely make out the hint of possessiveness in Itachi's voice.

' Then, may the best man win,' Sasuke thought with determination.

When Sakura woke up the next day, the first thing she saw when she looked out the window was the clear lake. Realizing that she had not taken a bath in days, she slipped out of the cabin, hoping to find a waterfall or a stream nearby.

As she walked through the forest, she took her time admiring the green canopies and the colorful flowers growing around her. "This reminds of the time Naruto and I were separated from Sasuke and Kakashi during a mission,' thought Sakura.

(flashback)

" Ne…Sakura-chan, why do we have to keep hiding near the trees?" asked Naruto with a frown.

" You don't want our enemies to find us do you?" Sakura asked Naruto seeing his frown.

" Ah…But Sakura-chan, I'll definitely protect you if the enemies attack us!" said Naruto with determination.

" Naruto, will you keep quiet. We're separated from Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke-kun. If the enemies attack there won't be any back-up," Sakura said again.

" But Sakura- chan," said Naruto as they continued leaping from tree to tree, " let's just walk on the ground…."

After saying that, Naruto leapt down to the ground. " See, nothing happened and there are no enemies…." said Naruto with a smug expression.

" Shit! Naruto stop, don't move," Sakura shouted in panic.

" Huh, what?" Naruto said as he continued his pace and suddenly…

" Argh! Shit! Why do I always have to step on shit?" asked Naruto as he kept bouncing around on one foot.

" That's why I told you to stop," Sakura said with a sigh.

(space)(space)(space)

Sakura giggled slightly recalling the expression on Naruto's face. She missed her friends and Naruto back home. " I wonder if Naruto heard about me being missing.." Sakura asked herself.

Naruto and her became rather close after Sasuke left the village. Well for one thing, she began having more faith in him. When they were in team seven, she never really had faith in Naruto and believed that the strongest in the group was Sasuke.

After the many events that passed, she realized that she had been wrong to look down on Naruto. That was one of the things that she regretted. ' I mean, he risked his life countless of times to save me,' Sakura thought to herself.

'Maybe if I had given him a chance, things could have worked between us. I wouldn't have had to suffer the heartache when Sasuke left. And furthermore, Naruto was always kind to me even after how I treated him,' these were the words that had gone through Sakura's mind the moment it was confirmed that Sasuke was not coming back.

' Well, until I started dreaming about Itachi,' Sakura blushed.' Itachi …. Where do we go from here?'

Hearing the sound of rushing water, she treaded along the forest paths until she found a small waterfall in a secluded part of the forest.

" Here ought to do," Sakura thought as she dipped her hand into the running stream. 'Kind of cold but I suppose I don't have a choice,' she thought again.

Slowly slipping out of her clothes, she carefully dipped her body into the running water. ' Luckily the current isn't strong,' thought Sakura as she made her way towards the waterfall. Finding a stone slab on which she could sit on, she began cleaning her wounds.

' The water feels so good but I suppose I have to get out before I catch a cold,' she thought as she stepped out of the running stream. ' Hmmm…now where did I put my clothes?' Sakura's thoughts were cut off when she sensed a presence behind here.

Turning around, she found herself face to face with heavily blushing Sasuke. " Huh? Why are you blushing?" Sakura asked as his eyes seemed to be traveling down.

Realization hit her square on the face. " Argh! Don't look!" she screamed as she covered her exposed body with her hands. "Turn around!" Sakura said as she blushed five shades of red.

Turning around, Sasuke activated his sharingan." Itachi come out. I know you're here," Sasuke said.

" What are you doing here little brother?" asked Itachi as he leapt from a tree.

"I should be asking you the same question," asked Sasuke as he glared at Itachi.

Seeing Itachi appearing as well, Sakura almost fainted. " Both of you, turn around!" screamed Sakura frantically as she began searching for her clothes.

" I won't forgive you for peeping on Sakura!" growled Sasuke.

" I could say the same to you. Although, I wasn't peeping. I saw Sakura leaving the house unprotected, so I followed her to keep watch," said Itachi.

' Okay, maybe I did peep a little. Well, maybe a little more than little. Okay, so what if I was watching her the whole time?' Itachi thought to himself as he tried blocking a nose bleed.

" I didn't even know she was here..I just happened to pass by," said Sasuke coldly.

' Okay I did know. But I didn't know she was bathing. Okay, maybe I did. But I didn't want to peep. Okay, maybe I did. But I meant to go back after a few minutes. Okay so I wanted to see her naked without the water blocking my view, so what?' Sasuke thought, while trying to block a nose bleed.

Too deep in their own thoughts, they didn't notice that Sakura had already made her way back to the cabin.

(space)(space)(space)

' Those perverts! I can't believe they actually peeked while I was bathing!" thought Sakura as her mind floated back to the present.

' Guess I better get back to the cabin,' she thought to herself.

" Sakura," called a voice behind her.

A/N I am terribly sorry. To all my readers, I am sooo sorry…. I meant to write this chapter sooner but since I have been rather busy lately, I could not manage the time to write it. I probably won't be updating often since my trials are approaching. I hope to update soon though. Thanks for all of your support. I hope you all haven't forgotten me?


	17. Is this goodbye?

Disclaimer : Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto-san. This is simply a fanfic.

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(space)(space)(space)

' Those perverts! I can't believe they actually peeked while I was bathing!" thought Sakura as her mind floated back to the present.

' Guess I better get back to the cabin,' she thought to herself.

" Sakura," called a voice behind her.

(space)(space)(space)

Turning around, Sakura found herself staring into two cerulean orbs. "I can't believe this. Naruto? What are you doing here?" Sakura asked in delight as she embraced him.

" Sakura-chan!I missed you soooo much…..," answered Naruto as he hugged her back. "I was so worried about you when I heard that you had been missing! Sakura-chan, please don't ever do this again..,"whined Naruto as he put on a huge puppy-dog face.

" Sorry, Naruto," apologized Sakura with a smile. " Sakura-chan, let's go home, ne?" Naruto asked as he started dragging her away from the lake. " Naruto, wait. How did you know that I was here?" asked Sakura.

" Ah…that's because when I heard you were missing, I went to see Tsunade baa-chan. She told me that everything was alright and you were safe," answered Naruto.

(flashback)

" Tsunade baa-chan, if Sakura is safe why can't she come back home?" Naruto asked confused.

" She will. When she wants to, she'll come home." Tsunade answered sleepily." But baa-chan, why doesn't she want to come home?" Naruto asked, still confused.

" Naruto, stop asking so many questions. I'm busy so stop bothering me," Tsunade said as she shoved Naruto out the door.

" Not fair! Baa-chan just wants to sleep!" Naruto yelled through the door. " Shut up brat! I'm busy ," Tsunade yelled back through the door.

Walking towards town, Naruto took out a sheet of paper hidden in his pocket. ' Luckily I took this from her office,' Naruto thought to himself, grinning with triumph.

(end of flashback)

" What! Naruto, I can't believe you stole the mission scroll from Tsunade-sama," Sakura said in disbelieve. " But Sakura-chan, I just wanted to find you. And I only stole the mission scroll from your last mission before you disappeared," whined Naruto.

" Well, I suppose it's okay," Sakura said with a sigh. " So, Sakura-chan let's go home. You've been gone for so long, everyone is worried about you," Naruto said again. " I can't Naruto, I still have something to do," Sakura replied sadly. " Is it a mission? If it's a mission then I can help Sakura-chan," Naruto replied with a cheerful grin.

" Well, it's not really a mission. It's something have to settle," said Sakura. " Then I can help you. After that, we can go home," said Naruto again.

" Naruto, I…" trailed off Sakura as a voice behind them interrupted her. " Am I interrupting anything?" said Sasuke as he they both turned around.

" Sasuke? Bastard, why the hell are you here!" Naruto asked furiously. " I should be asking you that question, dobe ," Sasuke taunted with a smirk. " Why, you…!" Naruto retorted as started rushing towards Sasuke in fury. Putting herself in the middle of the two of them, Sakura said " Stop it both of you. Can't we handle this calmly?"

" Sakura-chan, why the hell is he here?" Naruto asked confused. " It's a long story Naruto. But first why don't we go inside, it's getting dark after all," replied Sakura as she led them both towards the cabin.

(space)(space)(space)

" What all this happened to Sakura-chan! My poor Sakura-chan….." cried Naruto. "She's not yours dobe…" retorted Sasuke. " Huh? Sakura-chan are you sure this is Sasuke. This is the first time I've heard him say that," Naruto asked Sakura.

" No, I'm not Sasuke. I'm just a duplicate created by Orochimaru to cook and clean for him," said Sasuke sarcastically. " You are? I didn't know Orochimaru wanted a maid," said Naruto.

" I see you still haven't grown any brains. Ofcourse I'm Sasuke, dobe!" said Sasuke has he hit the back of Naruto's head. " Ehehehe……" laughed Naruto sheepishly.

" So Sakura-chan, what are you going to do now?" asked Naruto. " I…" trailed off Sakura as a dark cloaked figure entered the cabin.

" Ahh….It's that weasel who looks like Sasuke and his shark friend. But wait, I don't see sharky around," said Naruto as he pointed towards Itachi.

" Who are you calling a weasel, brat?" Itachi asked as he glared dangerously at Naruto. " Ehehe….no one," Naruto said sheepishly as he nervously moved behind Sakura. " Sakura- chan, are you sure you don't want to go home?" Naruto asked as he glanced nervously at Itachi.

" I have things to settle Naruto. I can't leave just yet,"replied Sakura as she smiled warmly at Naruto. " Sakura, I have to talk to you," said Itachi as he approached Sakura. " Okay," said Sakura as Itachi took her hand and started leading her out of the cabin.

" Hey, bastard! Where do you think you're going with Sakura!" asked Sasuke as he glared at Itachi. " Out," replied Itachi as they both exited the cabin.

(space)(space)(space)

As they both stepped into the forest, Sakura could feel the cool night breeze as it played teasingly with her hair. She could hear the hooting of the owls as it echoed through the forest.

" Itachi, what did you want to talk to me about?" asked Sakura as they slowly strolled under the night sky. " Sakura, I think it's time for you to go home," said Itachi slowly. " What? Why? " asked Sakura in confusion. " Your wounds have recovered. You should be able to travel home," Itachi said again.

" Itachi, are you chasing me away?" asked Sakura silently." You're not denying it. You really don't want me around, do you?" asked Sakura as tears clouded her eyes.

Keeping silent, he looked away. " Why aren't you answering me? Don't you dare turn your back on me Itachi. Look at me," cried Sakura as tears streamed down her face.

" You can leave by morning," said Itachi as he started walking away. " I said I would fight with you. Itachi, don't turn your back on me again. Please, not again ," cried Sakura . " This fight was originally mine. Take Sasuke with you. He is of no use to me," said Itachi as he disappeared into the night.

" Why?" asked Sakura as silent tears fell on to the forest ground.

(space)(space)(space)

Somewhere deep in the forest, the moon illuminated two silent shadows as they approached one another.

" Wise decision. Chasing away the ones you love before I can use them against you," said a figure as he smiled cruelly. " I don't know what you're talking about," said Itachi coldly.

" But it's a shame isn't it? That pink haired one looked really cute. Maybe I'll find uses for her to satisfy my needs once you're dead," said the figure amused. " This has nothing to do with her. We had a deal," said Itachi as his crimson eyes glared dangerously at the figure.

" Oh, yes…The deal…Don't worry, I'm a man of my word. I will not touch any of them," said the figure again. " I await our battle and my scrolls,"said the figure as he started leaving.

" Only if you win that is," said Itachi again. " Ah..but I plan to win," said the man as he disappeared.

' Forgive me Sakura,' thought Itachi as he looked up into the night sky.

(space)(space)(space)

The sun seemed to have risen almost too soon that morning as Sakura and her former teammates started heading home. ' He didn't even say goodbye,' thought Sakura to herself.

" Sakura, why are we going back to Konoha?" asked Sasuke. " Well, my wounds have healed and I really miss home, so why not?" said Sakura. " But what about Itachi?" asked Naruto as he happily skipped down the road.

" He says he has things to do," lied Sakura putting on a fake smile. " Oh, I almost forgot!Sasuke, Tsunade baa-chan says that you're forgiven for running away from Konoha," said Naruto happily.

" Why?" asked Sasuke a little surprised. " I don't know, she wouldn't tell me," said Naruto again. " Well, that's good news, isn't it?" asked Sakura. " Yeah, it is. Looks like I'll have to start over with my life,"said Sasuke mostly to himself.

" Huh? What do you mean?" asked Naruto. " Never mind, dobe. You're too dumb to understand anyway,"said Sasuke.

" Sasuke," called Sakura. " Yes, Sakura?" asked Sasuke.

" Welcome home,"Sakura said as she smiled warmly at him.

A/N Sorry for the late update everyone. I know that you all are probably thinking " Someone force her to update" Sorry, I'll try to update sooner next time.


	18. Home once again

Disclaimer : Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto-san. This is simply a fanfic.

A/N : I hope you all enjoy this chappie….

(space)(space)(space)

"What the hell did you think you were doing!" yelled Tsunade as she scrutinized the three teenagers in her office.

"You Naruto, who gave you permission to take the mission scroll and leave the village?" asked Tsunade as she glared at Naruto.

"Err.. well..i was…" stumbled Naruto. "You were?" asked Tsunade as she gave him one of her ' don't-piss-me-off-any-futher-or-I'm-gonna-kick-your-ass' smiles.

"Err…never mind?" asked Naruto as he backed away against the wall and started praying.

"Sakura, I thought that you would have more sense. Did you know how worried we all were? You could have sent us a letter saying that you were alright," said Tsunade.

"Err…sorry?" said Sakura as she backed away against the wall, joining Naruto.

"And you, Sasuke. What were you thinking? Did you WANT to become a substitute body for Orochimaru or something!" Tsunade asked Sasuke as she eyed him dangerously.

"Err….never mind. I'll just back away against the wall without further a due," said Sasuke as he joined Naruto and Sakura.

"Err…Tsunade-sama," called out Sakura. "Yes? You have a question?" asked Tsunade. "How did you know I was alright?" asked Sakura. "Yeah, Tsunade baa-chan. How did you know Sakura-chan was alright if she didn't send you a message?" asked Naruto curiously.

"I have my resources," answered Tsunade. "I see that we've got everything straightened out, right?" Tsunade asked as she eyed the three standing against the wall. "Yes," said the three in unison. "Alright, now hop along. I have work to finish. Oh, and don't you think of sneaking out again," warned Tsunade as the three of them rushed out the front door.

"Kids…." said Tsunade with a sigh as she started massaging her temples.

(space)(space)(space)

Walking out of Tsunade's office, Sakura decided to head back home. "I'll see you later. I have to go home," said Sakura to her two former teammates. "Okay, see you later Sakura-chan!" said Naruto.

Rushing through town, she hardly noticed the people who she passed as the only thing in her mind was the thought of her mother. Pushing open the front door, she found her mother in the hallway.

"Mom," she called as she rushed to embrace her mother. "Sakura! Sakura is it you?" asked her mother as she tightly embraced her daughter. "I was so worried. They said that you were missing," her mother said between sobs. "Mom, I missed you so much," Sakura said. "Oh..Sakura…please don't do that again," her mother said, her eyes shining with tears. " Okay," said Sakura with a reassuring smile.

Hearing a knock on the door, Sakura answered the door only to find her two teammates standing in her doorway. "Ino? Hinata?" asked Sakura as the two of them embraced her with a bone crushing hug.

"Sakura, I thought that you were dead. Thank goodness you're alright," said Ino as she embraced her best friend. "Sakura-chan, Hinata is very happy that you're fine," said Hinata as she started sobbing.

"I'm sorry. I'm really happy to see you all again," said Sakura as she tightly hugged them back, only to trip on the front rug and send them all tumbling down. "I see you're still a klutz," said Ino as they all started laughing.

"Sorry to disturb but, wouldn't you girls feel more comfortable inside than on the ground?" asked Sakura mother seeing them tangled on the ground and laughing like they were drunk. Flushing, they got off the ground and entered the house in fits of giggles.

(space)(space)(space)

"So Itachi was innocent all along," said Sakura as she finished her story. " I didn't think that things would turn out this way," said Ino. "Sakura-chan, is your injury all better," Hinata asked, purely concerened.

"Yup, I'm healthier than the two of you put together," said Sakura with a wide a smile. "Who are you calling weak?" asked Ino as she playfully began to wrestle Sakura to the ground. "Okay…I give up,' said Sakura as they both laughed.

"Sakura, you told us about what had happened but somehow I get the feeling you're hiding something," said Ino as she scrutinized Sakura. "I don't know what you're talking about," said Sakura as she faked a laugh.

Technically it was true. She had told them about the battle, about Itachi rescuing her and the arrival of Sasuke but she had 'failed' to mention the kiss Itachi and her had shared nor the fact that she was deeply in love with him or the fact that she had been in love with him since she was eight.

'But, oh well….' said Sakura to herself as she inwardly hid a blush.

"You're hiding something aren't you?" asked Ino. "No, why would I?" asked Sakura innocently. "Well, I suppose not," said Ino with a sigh. " You were hoping for something?" asked Sakura playfully. "Yup, I was hoping that you'd fall in love with Itachi so that I can have Sasuke-kun all to myself," said Ino with a grin.

"Too bad, huh?" Sakura answered as she tried her best not to laugh. "Ne, Sakura-chan….I think I have to go back. Sakura-chan must still be tired, so I'll let Sakura-chan rest," said Hinata as she started heading for the door. "Well, I have to go too. I have a flower shop to run," Ino said as she left as well.

"Bye," Sakura called out through the door.

'Goodbye Ino-chan. Goodbye Hinata-chan. Forgive me but I'll have to leave you again," thought Sakura to herself.

(space)(space)(space)

After saying goodnight to her mother, Sakura sneaked out through the balcony in her room. 'Sorry, mom,' thought Sakura as she headed for the Konoha gates. 'This scene looks familiar,' thought Sakura as she recalled the time when she had snuck out of Konoha to look for the firefly cave where Itachi had took her.

'This time, it's you I'll be searching for Itachi,' whispered Sakura as she slipped through the Konoha gates. She smiled as she recalled the incident that had happened only two nights ago.

(flashback)

" _Itachi, what did you want to talk to me about?" asked Sakura as they slowly strolled under the night sky. " Sakura, I think it's time for you to go home," said Itachi slowly. " What? Why? " asked Sakura in confusion. " Your wounds have recovered. You should be able to travel home," Itachi said again._

" _Itachi, are you chasing me away?" asked Sakura silently." You're not denying it. You really don't want me around, do you?" asked Sakura as tears clouded her eyes._

_Keeping silent, he looked away. " Why aren't you answering me? Don't you dare turn your back on me Itachi. Look at me," cried Sakura as tears streamed down her face._

" _You can leave by morning," said Itachi as he started walking away. " I said I would fight with you. Itachi, don't turn your back on me again. Please, not again ," cried Sakura . " This fight was originally mine. Take Sasuke with you. He is of no use to me," said Itachi as he disappeared into the night._

" _Why?" asked Sakura as silent tears fell on to the forest ground._

Seeing that Itachi had already left, Sakura wiped away the fake tears that streamed down her face. 'I didn't think that he'd fall for it,' thought Sakura as she giggled slightly. In truth since the day that he had talked to her about the events that had happened in the past, she had begun to understand him more.

He was someone who didn't want to burden anyone with duties that he considered his own or could endanger the lives of the ones he loved. Thinking about it, at some point Sakura knew that he would chase her and Sasuke away in order to protect them.

At that time, Sakura made a promise to herself. Whatever he said or whatever lies he told, she would not believe them. In some ways, she was very alike Itachi. She did not want Sasuke to get involved, so she faked the act and left with Sasuke planning to go back to Itachi once Sasuke was safe. 'Forgive me Sasuke, I've loved you once but I belong with him,' thought Sakura as she headed back to the cabin.

(end of flashback)

(Itachi's pov)

The moon seems dimmer and the lake seems darker since you left. I wonder if I'll ever see you again. It's been four days since you left. You don't know how hurtful it is to let you go, Sakura.

I hope you will be happy with Sasuke.

I hope he treats well.

I hope he never breaks your heart.

As I think about all these things, I recall the warmth of your touch and the taste of your lips. I know I'm being a hopeless romantic but I can't seem to get you out of my mind. I can't forget you, love.

Surprised, I started sensing your presence.

"Liar," I hear you say as I turn to face you. "Sakura, why….?" I asked as you smirked at me. "Because, this is where I belong," you said as you embraced me gently. "Itachi, I can't believe you fell for my acting,' you said with a grin.

'You were acting?' I asked truly surprised, I had been sure that I had broken her heart. 'You have to catch up on all those years you missed, you know. You couldn't even tell that I was acting,' you whispered into my ear. I could tell that you were amused.

'If you had truly broken my heart, I would have been more dramatic about it,' you said again.

Chuckling, I gathered you closer into my arms. 'You can punish me later. But right now we have some catching up to do,' I whispered into your ear. Tilting your chin, I brought our lips together.

In my mind I prayed that this moment would not end.

(space)(space)(space)

Like the passage of time,

My love will never stop,

In this cold lonely world,

I'll be the air you breathe.

Have you ever gazed at the moon?

And seen its mysterious light?

I will be the light you see,

Guiding you under the night sky.

Those dreams when we were young,

Do you still see them now?

Do you still recall our days of laughter?

Hand in hand under the cloudless sky.

When all truths fade away,

What would you believe in?

Would you turn and hide?

Or would you stay with me?

Hiding behind these cruel lies,

Can you see me behind this mask?

In the shadows I clutch to your smile,

Afraid to let go, afraid to forget you.

A/N I hope you all would forgive me if my chaps are getting crappy or something. It seems I've been having writer block for quite a while now. Anyway, please review to tell me what you think (I'm not threatening, if you don't want to its okay).


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